BuaNews (Tshwane)
Gabi Khumalo And Zama Feni
20 November 2007
Cape Town — The ground-breaking Sexual Offences Amendment Bill has been approved by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on the eve of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign.
The Bill will now need to be signed by President Thabo Mbeki before it becomes law and published in the Government Gazette.
Presenting the Bill for debate, Deputy Justice Minister Johnny de Lange said its approval would celebrate the House's willingness and commitment to address the plight of women, children and other vulnerable groups who are so often the victims of sexual atrocities.
The Bill aims to bring a series of changes to the country's current sexual offences laws.
Some of the dramatic changes contained in the Bill are that according to the definition of the law, the definition of rape will include a man being raped by another man, for a woman to be raped by another woman and for a man to be raped by a woman.
Mr de Lange said the enactment of this Bill will, among others, enhanced government's resolve to address the abuse of women and children by criminalising the various manifestations of sexual violence and abuse.
"I hope that this Bill, when it becomes law soon, will be applied with vigour by all role-players," he said before it was approved.
"One of the key messages of this year's Campaign is that Government, in creating an extensive policy and legislative framework that deals with crime, sends a strong message to offenders that violent abuse will not be tolerated."
Deputy Minister de Lange said some of the ground-breaking issues contained in the Bill relate to the shortcomings in the country's common law crimes dealing with sexual offences.
The Bill aims to bring them into line with "our constitutional dispensation and ensuring that we have as many quick and successful prosecutions as possible, with the least secondary trauma for the victims thereof."
Deputy Minister de Lange stated that two chapters of the Bill have been devoted exclusively to victims of sexual offences who are particularly vulnerable, that is children and persons who are mentally disabled.
While the Bill singles out these vulnerable groups, "I trust that the courts and the prosecuting authority will leave no stone unturned to ensure that persons who commit sexual offences against other vulnerable victims, such as the elderly and the physically disabled, also get their just deserts."
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