OPENING OF CGE OFFICES IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCE

Issued by: Commission on Gender Equality

MEDIA INVITATION

1. Opening of Cge Offices in the Northern Province

29 March, 10H00 at Marshall Chamber, 130 Marshall Street, Pietersburg

2. Launch of Witchcraft Violence Conference Report

29 March, 12H00 at the Public Works Hall, Landros Mare Street, Pietersburg.

Background to Witchcraft Violence Conference Report:

In 1998 the Commission hosted the National Conference on Witchcraft Violence in the Northern Province. The conference drew participation from national and international stakeholders toward ending the scourge of violence associated with witchcraft accusations. The conference adopted the THOHOYANDOU DECLARATION ON ENDING WITCHCRAFT VIOLENCE on 10 September, 1998. (attached). The CGE, together with Stakeholders, have already initiated several projects on the Northern Province according to the National Action Plan on Witchcraft Violence.

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THE THOHOYANDOU DECLARATION ON ENDING WITCHCRAFT VIOLENCE,

10 September, 1998

WE, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WITCHCRAFT VIOLENCE convened by the Commission on Gender Euality in Thoyoandou, Venda, from 6 to 10 September 1998.

SHOCKED AND HORRIFIED by the misery sufferened by survivors of witchcraft violence, so graphically conveyeed in the first hand testimonies made by feollow participants who survived such scourges on the first day of this conference

DEEPLY CONCERNED by:

• the escalation in witchcraft violence and the flagrant violation of human rights which it represents;
• its disproportionate effects on women, the aged, and the weakest members of our society;
• the particular effects of witchcraft violence on the disabled, whose disabilities are frequently ascribed to witchcraft;
• the escalation in witchcraft violence related to HIV/AIDS;
• the silence which surrounds witchcraft violence because it often occurs in remote rural areas and is deemed less urgent than urban-based crime such as bank robberies and car high jacks;
• the apparent inability of the criminal justice system to address this problem; and
• its negative effects on development which add to the enormous burdens on women, who constitute the majority of the poor and the dispossessed.

FIRMLY BELIEVING that at the heart of democracy is the right of all men and women to live without fear of threat to their lives;

RECOGNISING that this is a national problem which is by no means confined to the Northern Province;

CONDEMN such violence in the strongest possible terms;

COMMEND the bold efforts which have been made by the provincial government, NGOs, religious groups and other stakeholders in the Northern Province to confront the problem by taking up the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into Witchcraft Violence and Ritual Murders int he Norethern Province (the Ralushai report); launching public education campaigns and intervening to prevent displacements;

FURTHER COMMEND a group of perpetrators and survivors of witchcraft violence who met in the wings of the conference, under the mediation of the Commission on Gender Equality and religious groups, for showing us that reconciliation is possible;

COMMIT ourselves, individually, and as organisations, to adopt a visible leadership stance in ending the scourge of witchcraft violence through signing the attached statement of commitment; and

RECOMMEND THE ADOPTION OF A NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR ERADICATING WITCHCRAFT VIOLENCE INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING KEY COMPONENTS:

DECLARING THE ERADICATION OF WITCRAFT VIOLENCE A NATIONAL PRIORITY at the highest political level is crucial to ensuring that the issues is given the prominence its deserves. We request that the Minister of Safety and Security, who will close the conference on behalf of the Deputy President, convey this recommendation to the President for his immediate consideration.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN; poverty and illiteracy, particularly among women, are a major contributory factor to the superstition and false accusations, which lead to witchcraft violence. The eradication of poverty and illiteracy and achievement of gender equality, are central to all strategies for ending this scourge.

STRENTHENING THE RESPONSE BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE: The current response by the police to witchcraft violence is inadequate. Investigations into witchcraft violence are often poorly conducted, because of the reluctance of the police to deal with the issue as well as the fear by witnesses to come forward with evidence. We recommended to the Minister of Safety and Security, and to provincial MEC's for Safety and Security that the following specific measures by adopted as soon as possible:

• NATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION STRATEGY: Inclusion of the eradication of witchcraft violence as a priority at national as well as at provincial level in the NCPS so that it is given prominence and a specific budget allocation.
• TRAINING: Special training for police in the handling of witchcraft violence as part of the human rights, investigative, crime prevention and intelligence training which they receive.
• SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNITS; the establishment of specially trained, dedicated units for investigating witchcraft violence.
• THE HANDLING OF SURVIVORS AT POLICE STATIONS: Survivors of witchcraft violence who seek refuge and help at police stations are often forced to wait long hours and are treated with indiffenence. Procedures and physical arrangements at police stations, especially in areas, which are afflicted by this problem, should be reviewed to ensure that survivors are treated with dignity and are encouraged to lodge their cases.
• HELP LINE: Consideration should be given to establishing a help line for survivors which they can access at the nearest police station they are able to reach.
• STRENGTHENING POLICE-COMMUNITY CO-OPERATION in ending witchcraft violence can be achieved through establishing Community Police Fora (where these do not exist); strengthening existing CPF's; the offer of rewards to those who come forward with evidence; and conducting rallies at which police interact with the community on this issue.
• PREVENTIVE APPROACHES: Better relations with the community should enable the police to take pre-emptive measures to stop witchcraft violence before it occurs.
• ADEQUATE RESOURCES: Because witchcraft violence often occurs in remote areas with no telecommunications, effective policing of the problem requires considerable human and financial resources. It is crucial that adequate resources be allocated at national and provincial level for this purpose.

LEGISLATIVE REFORM: The Witchcraft Suppression Act 3 of 1957 falls short of a pragmatic approach to the issue of witchcraft, and may in fact be fuelling witchcraft violence. Legislative reform is required as matter of urgency. We call on the government to repeal the Witchcraft Suppression Act and introduce;

(1) Legislation dealing with the issue of witchcraft, so that those who are engaged in harmful practices can be separated out from those who are falsely accused; and so that those who make false accusations can be brought to book. Such legislation would, inter alia

• Represent a paradigm shift from the current act which operates from a premise that denies the belief in witchcraft; leading to the Issue being dealt with outside the criminal justice system.
• Provide clear definitions for words and concepts such as "witch", "wizard" and "witchcraft".
• Introduce structures to deal with certain witchraft-related complaints by means of conciliation and mediation, thereby attempting to resolve underlying tensions.

(2) Legislation to control the practice of traditional healing: which should be accompanied by a Code of Conducted to ensure that the practice of traditional medicine is separated from sinister practices.

The conference requested the Commission on Gender Equality to convene a meeting with the Ministry of Justice and other interest groups to initiate the above legislative reform in October.

VICTIM SUPPORT: At present, there is very little information on what victim support structures exist, and how accessible these are to survivors of witchcraft violence. We urge that:

• The Department of Welfare and/or NGOs involved in this area, undertake and audit of what facilities exist, and how accessible these are to survivors of witchcraft violence;
• Survivors of witchcraft violence be included in the Department of Welfare's Victim Empowerment Programme:
• Moblie Counselling centers be established to assist those affected by witchcraft violence.

6. REINTEGRATION AND RECONCILIATION: Thousands of victims of witchcraft violence have been displaced from their homes and have suffered losses and damages to their property. Such victims have often lived with the terrible burden of their memories, without having had the opportunity to be counseled. On the other hand, many perpetrators are living with their guilt. They are looking for ways in which to come forward and seek forgiveness. We call on the government, religious leaders, traditional leaders, independent bodies and NGO to find ways of reuniting communities which have been divided by witchcraft violence, drawing on the experiences and methods of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The following specific measures- many of which emerged from the meeting between survivors and perpetrators in the wings of the conference- are proposed:

• Conducting research on how such reintegration can best be approached.
• Launching pilot project from which lessons can be drawn.
• Providing counselling to survivors and perpetrators.
• Facilitating the return of displaced persons to their homes.
• Assisting survivors and perpetrators to become economically active; and in particular explore the possibility of joint projects between the two.
• Lobby for a special fund for survivors to be awarded reparations.
• Monitor the situation to ensure that violence does not re-occur.

7. PUBLIC EDUCATION: We recommend the adoption of a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign, which builds on the work already started by the government and NGOs in the Northern Province, and includes the following components:

• Getting perpetrators of the violence (including those who have served prison terms) who have shown contrition to give talks at schools and at other youth fora, discouraging other youth from engaging in such violence.
• Use of drama to highlight the trauma that surrounds witchcraft violence.
• Including education on witchcraft violence in Curricula 2005.
• Launching a pilot project in one of the worst affected areas including videos, debates, pamphlets, the media, essays, competitions etc from which lessons could be learned and extended to the broader public education campaign.

8. MONITORING AND EVALUATION: We propose that the Commission on Gender Equality convene a task team of all relevant stakeholders to take forward the recommendations made at this conference and to monitor their implementation. This task team should report back on its work at a similar conference in two years time, when it is our fervent hope that there will have been a substantial reduction in witchcraft violence.