Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Debate on 16 Days of Activism campaign
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA DURING THE DEBATE ON 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM FOR NO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN, National Assembly, Cape Town, 11 November 2004
Madam Speaker,
Honourable Members,
In Kliptown at the Congress of the People 49 years ago, the people of South Africa declared among other things, that There Shall Be Peace and Security, when they adopted the Freedom Charter.
The campaign and programme of action to create a safer environment for women and children is in line with this vision.
As we prepare for the beginning of the campaign of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, from 25 November to 10 December, we are reaffirming our belief that the rights of women and children are human rights, and that their violation runs against the spirit and letter of our Constitution.
President Mbeki will launch this campaign in Port Elizabeth on 25 November, and his involvement indicates the seriousness with which this matter is taken at the highest level of government and the country.
The campaign brings us together as a nation, to recommit ourselves to the goal of eradicating women and child abuse, and to create an environment that is conducive to the growth and development of women and children.
We are holding this debate today Madam Speaker because we realise that this problem still exists, and that we need to further share views on what can be done, and to report back on the progress we have made in dealing with this scourge.
As government, our commitment to this goal Madam Speaker has been supported with firm action, and we are pleased with the progress we have made in preventative measures as well as remedial action.
Our comprehensive programme has involved working through a number of strategies. These include investing in young people to prevent crime and violence, promoting moral regeneration and rebuilding the social fabric, the transformation of the criminal justice system, improving the status of women and the overall programme of social and economic development.
We have embarked on this comprehensive approach because law enforcement on its own is not sufficient to prevent domestic violence and the abuse of children. This is due to the complex nature of the crime. Most of these crimes take place in people
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