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Presidential GBV summit not another talk shop: Dlamini

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The two day Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence(GBV) has come to an end. Stakeholders have adopted and agreed on a declaration which comprises a national plan of action.

This will see government and all stakeholders work together in combating the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide.

The summit was prompted by a protest march under the #TotalShutDown banner to the Union Buildings in August whereby a memorandum was handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Activists and survivors have called for the reintroduction of Sexual Offences Courts which have since collapsed. Many wants to see harsh punishment meted on perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide.

Social Development minister, Suzan Shabangu spoke at the end of the summit. She says: “…It also becomes relevant that if it gets signed by all stakeholders, it will be a much more better document which will then be distributed to government. But what’s important is that is has been adopted.”

About 2 000 delegates from NGOs, researchers and religious groupings attended the summit. Minister of Women in the Presidency, Bathabile Dlamini, has given the assurance that the presidential summit on gender-based violence is not another talk shop. She says government departments and municipalities will have to reconfigure their budgets to accommodate activities and awareness programmes of gender-based violence.

“From planning of the budget speech to the budget votes by ministers, that’s where we need to make drastic changes to ensure that as well as provinces and municipalities have a very clear agenda when it comes to budgeting for programs.”

The UN has viewed the phenomenon as a social crisis that has befallen the continent and the globe.

Participants have suggested that gender-based violence should also be declared a national priority and be included in the school curriculum.

Gender Links CEO Coleen Lowe Morna says gender-based violence has no barriers and affects all sectors of society.

“We know from research that one or possibly more women experience some form of violence. Whether it is physical, sexual, emotional or economic.”

The Presidency has six months to form a national strategic plan to deal decisively with gender-based violence. Mpho Pitsi from #TotalShutDown says this is what they want to see going forward.

“Re nyaka action that’s what we want. Action and results. We want to see everything that’s being said here. We want to see the president taking up his own words. To say that he will take this serious because it’s a crisis, so we want action and we want results.”

Meanwhile, the last leg of the summit has suffered a brief disruption. This after participants raised concerns over distribution of revealing pictures of one of the activists and survivor of rape without her consent.

A Tembisa rape survivor on Thursday pulled up her dress to show President Cyril Ramaphosa and delegates visible scars around the stomach which she suffered after being gang raped few years ago.

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