The annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign started on Friday November 25 and runs
until Saturday December 10 and is an international campaign that raises awareness of the far-reaching negative impact that violence and abuse have on women and children, and on society as a whole.
The white ribbon you see on our masthead this week – which we will run for the duration of the campaign – is a symbol of Constantiaberg Bulletin’s support for this campaign.
This year, parent company Independent Media, has also launched its Don’t Look Away campaign which will run parallel to the 16 Days of Activism. To show our support for the campaign, all Independent staff will wear orange or paint the nail of their index finger orange, which is the colour used by the United Nations to symbolise a brighter future without violence.
Spotlight on gender justice
During the 16 Days of Activism, Sonke Gender Justice will be running its #Safe Campaign to suggest a range of concrete strategies on how South African society can become gender equitable and violence-free.
“To address the scourge of gender-based violence in South Africa, during 16 Days of Activism and beyond, Sonke continues its call on government to urgently adopt and implement a fully costed, multi-sectoral and coordinated National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence (NSP on GBV),” Sonke Gender Justice said in a media re-
lease.
Sonke’s #Safe Campaign will focus on the following advocacy demands:
Ban corporal punishment
Decriminalise sex work
Make public transport safer
Reduce overcrowding and unsafe conditions in prisons
Strengthen appropriately gun and alcohol laws
Pass hate crimes legislation
Provision of psycho-social support to survivors of gender-based violence and children exposed to it
Address the harmful gender norms that drive the spread of HIV.
“Whole of society” approach
The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) says it will be taking a whole-of-society approach to combating the abuse of women and children, having priori-
tised the development and protection of the province’s 1.7-million children and 2.1-million
women “beyond this 16 day commemorative period”.
Through the Children and Families programme and the Victim Empowerment sub-programme (VEP), the department provides key services to women and children at risk 365 days a year, the department said in a media release.
The Children and Families and VEP receive a combined budget of R654.2 million, which has enabled the department to implement many projects.
The department recently launched the 10-bed Safehaven facility in Noordhoek, bringing to 16 the number of shelters in the Western Cape for abused women and children.
The 100-bed Khuseleka Centre (the Saartjie Baartman Shelter) expanded and launched a new residential wing and drug treatment facility, that allows it to treat addicted abuse victims and FASD babies.
The office of the MEC launched the Social Makeover Project (SMP), that targeted 20 unskilled and unemployed women to complete an intensive 10-week personal development and empowerment programme.
During this year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign the department and MEC Albert Fritz, will embark on numerous events to commemo-
rate the period, among them a focus on a
bused people with disabilities with the Cape Mental Health organisation, and a focus on the role of men and fathers, with public events in Mitchell’s
Plain.
Report any cases of abuse of women and children to social workers at regional or local offices, or by contacting the DSD hotline on 0800 220 250.
