The Eastern Cape government has highlighted substance abuse as a major contributor to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) incidents in the province.
Mabuyane says this year’s campaign was launched in Sarah Baartman District Municipality due to a rise in GBV cases in the district. He says substance abuse played a role in most cases.
“We’ve got to work to uproot this problem of drugs in our communities as well as this abuse of alcohol. Every young child now, if you go to party, that party cannot be a party without liquor. So we are really saying it is part of the problem this abuse. We are seeing a lot of these incidents taking place over weekends, during happy times and they are happening at our homes. It tells that there is something that is absolutely wrong with our family units.”
EC government launches its 16 Days of Activism Campaign:
Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities Maite Nkoana-Mashabane is calling on all women to venture into entrepreneurship to support themselves, instead of relying on abusive partners.
Mashabane was speaking at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism campaign at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, in Nasrec. This year’s campaign focuses on both the social and economic empowerment of women.
The objective is to break the bonds of economic dependency of women who are forced to stay in abusive relationships. Mashabane emphasised that it’s vital for women not to financially depend on their partners.
“Women on the 25th of November for the next coming days to focus on dealing with gender-based violence and femicide in this manner in doing expos. Business expos. Let’s teach and work together with women to feed themselves and expose themselves to generating income on their own so that if it does not work, they walk away.”
16 Days | Expo to launch campaign of activism for no violence against women and children
Report by SABC News reporter: Sashin Naidoo
