The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s redirection of R1.1 billion to fight the scourge of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in a five point plan that includes implementing strong preventive measures, reviewing the legal framework for prosecuting GBV cases, strengthening the criminal justice system and ensuring that every police station in the country treats victims of rape and domestic violence with sympathy and respect.

The announcement is especially welcome in the light of the horrendous confession by Nicholas Ninow to raping an 8-year-old child in a ladies’ bathroom at a Dros restaurant in Silverton, Pretoria in 2018 for which FEDUSA believes a sentence of life imprisonment should be considered as the appropriate punishment because of the  intent of the crime; and that women’s bodies should not be seen as sexual tools for men.

Meanwhile FEDUSA Vice President for Social Justice and Gender Ms Dorothy Ndhlovu has strongly condemned the current wave of senseless killings of women and children currently ravaging the country and supports the call for government to declare a state of emergency.

“We are calling on our government to put South Africa in a state of emergency to protect our children and women against senseless brutality and femicide,” said Ndhlovu.

“Every day and every hour our children and women are raped and killed by people who should be respecting and protecting them from strangers.  What must we do in a country that preaches democracy and freedom; is our freedom is then in our hands or in the hands of rapists and murderers”?
 
The union federation views gender-based violence in a very serious light and has scheduled an Anti- GBV Conference for November 2019, where intensified resolutions will be tabled for implementation as well as the fast-tracking of legislation to support the recently adopted ILO Convention on NO GBV in the world of work.

Issued by FEDUSA