The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children takes place every year from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day). The theme for this year is From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Proliferation of small arms and their role in domestic violence.
Although the global campaign focuses on violence against women only, South Africa added children to its campaign because of the high incidence of child abuse in the country. This campaign has been profiled and implemented in South Africa since 1999. The South African Government runs the 16 Days of Activism Campaign to create public awareness on the negative impact of violence on women and children and to encourage collective action against all types of abuse and its prevention in our communities.
Every year, government, civil-society organisations and the business sector work together to broaden the impact of the campaign. By supporting this campaign, thousands of South Africans have also helped to increase awareness of abuse and build support for victims and survivors of abuse.
This campaign actively supports the priorities of government to empower women, in particular rural women grappling with the challenge of unemployment and poverty; and protects the rights of the child. During the campaign, government will mobilise communities around the national effort to reduce arms in society, which tend to be the common denominator in many cases of domestic violence.
We support the priorities of government to empower women, in particular rural women grappling with the challenge of unemployment and poverty
While there is slight improvement, the levels of physical, emotional and sexual abuse experienced by women and children remain unacceptably high. The recently released Crime Statistics 2010/2011 indicated that: With the exception of the murder of adult women which increased by 5, 6% and sexual offences against children (younger than 18 years) which increased by 2, 6%
All other social contact crimes against women and children decreased by margins of between -29, 4% and -0, 8%. This is in quite sharp contrast to 2009/2010, when in most cases significant increases in social contact crimes against women and children were recorded.
Sexual offences in general indicates a ratio decrease of -4, 4%, from 138.5 sexual offences per 100 000 of the RSA population in 2009/2010 to 132.4 per 100 000 in 2010/2011. This represents a decrease of 2 136 cases, from 68 332 to 66 196.
The ongoing rape of members of the gay and lesbian community is a crime that will not be tolerated. The criminal justice system will deal harshly with the perpetrators of these so-called “corrective rape” crimes. A person who kills and extracts body-parts has not only committed murder but has violated human rights. There is nothing that can drive a person to commit such horrible crimes against women and children as there are no benefits to be derived from imithi with human body parts.
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