Today is Human Rights Day. 53 years ago 69 peaceful protestors sacrificed their lives in Sharpeville for the freedom and equality now protected by our constitution.
Today 3200 women will be raped in South Africa. One woman will be raped every four minutes in our country. SA is therefore neither free nor equal.
Our rape statistics are an insult to the memory of those who suffered and died for freedom and equality and our paper rights ring hollow in the face of this, our national crisis of rape and gender violence.
DAWN (The DA Women’s Network) calls on all the people of the NMBM to say “Kwanele Nyoni! Enough is Enough! Genoeg is Genoeg!”.
We cannot build a new South Africa in women’s blood! We celebrate Human Rights Day but it is not enough to say that we have a constitutional democracy. Statistics show that paper rights don’t stop rape and gender violence. Paper rights must become real rights to stop rape.
Our sisters’ blood is being shed today and every other day of the year. While South Africa has the dubious honour of being christened the rape capital of the world what happens here, on the ground of the NMBM, must stop. DAWN appeals for a zero tolerance approach to rape and gender violence in the NMBM. We invite the SA Police to work together with us as we say “Kwanele Nyoni! Enough is Enough! Genoeg is Genoeg!” to rape and women wounding gender violence.
Rape and gender violence are caused by the heritage and perpetuation of an imbalance in power between women and men. DAWN supports equality and balanced power relations between all South Africans regardless of sex, pigmentation, nationality or creed. We want true equality for all.
We therefore call on the Gelvandale Police to support our appeal for:
- Justice that keeps convicted rapists behind bars to serve a full sentence;
- No bail for rape accused with a record of convictions for rape or gender violence;
- Harsher sentences for rape and domestic violence;
- Visible policing in dangerous areas – especially at night;
- Strong lights in unsafe places;
- A place of safety in each constituency of the NMBM and
- Rape survival kits for every raped woman.
We stand in silence to mourn this – our national tragedy. We pray for the day when South Africa’s status as the rape capital of the world changes.
We march on Human Rights Day to stop violence against women and a daily sacrifice of 3200 women’s bodies.
The DA will continue to fight for the rights of women and children daily and not only on Human Rights Day.
Together we will translate our constitutional rights into real rights!
KWANELE NYONI! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! GENOEG IS GENOEG!
Celeste Barker
