PRETORIA 2 DECEMBER 1999
I have the most pleasant task of making some introductory remarks on this very significant and symbolic exhibition. The theme for this exhibition is "Inner Sight Violence" and it pertains to women. Indeed this exhibition comes to us at the most opportune time as it coincides with the South African Government's 16 Days of Activism Campaign. This is a campaign which was launched on 25 November 1999 and will culminate at an Accountability Forum on 10 December 1999, which is also International Human Rights Day. The purpose of this campaign, similar to the purpose of the exhibition we are attending here, is to conscientious the public and raise the awareness that women's rights are human rights and that each and everyone of us has a social, moral and constitutional obligation to defend and protect those rights.
Violence against women is a world-wide problem. It cuts across race, class, income and age group. It has been identified as one of the most prevalent and consistently recurrent forms of human rights violation within the context of the international community.
The international community has made tremendous efforts in the past 50 years to ensure the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights.
Ladies and Gentlemen, you will recall that in June 1993, the United National World Conference on Human Rights declared that, "The human rights of women and the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights..... Gender based violence in all its forms are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person, and must be eliminated".
The Beijing Platform for Action views violence against women as the primary obstacle to achieving the objectives of equality, development and peace. On the sub-continent of Africa, the issue of violence against women was placed firmly on the SADC Agenda when our country hosted the SADC Conference in Durban in March last year. This Conference focussed on the prevention of violence against women and children. SADC members countries present at the Conference adopted a Declaration on the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children.
It reaffirms our collective commitment to the prevention and eradication of violence against women and children and resolved to put in place, amongst others, regional policies, programmes and mechanisms to enhance the security and empowerment of women and children in our countries.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I mentioned earlier, the commencement of 16 Days of Activism Campaign and that one of its aims is to continue raising awareness of this issue related to violence and especially violence against women.
The other very important aims also include:
My Department too, is very concerned about the alarming increase in the incidence of violence against women and children. Women and children will continue to avoid. We are however, addressing the situation by reviewing the entire Sexual Offences Act and the South African Law Commission has already published a Discussion Paper on the substantive legal aspects of sexual offences. Last month my Department singed a one million rand agreement with the Canadian Government, these funds have been earmarked for the establishment of 20 sexual offences courts throughout the country over a one year period.
As I mentioned earlier, Government will be developing an integrated National Action Plan for the eradication of violence against women and this Plan will be presented by the Office on the Status of Women on 10 December 1999, International Human Rights Day. On this day, at the National Accountability Forum, Ministers from various clusters will be invited to review the progress made on the 1998 Commitments. I look forward to this event and hope to see many of you there and together we must reaffirm out Nation's international, constitutional and moral obligations to protect women and children from all forms of violence.
In closing I would like to quote the former President of our country, Mr Nelson Mandela who said "women constitute the majority of the South African population and, although we now have a democratic society, we concede that freedom will not fully be attained unless women have been truly emancipated and empowered in all spheres of life".
I thank you!