The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has reiterated its call for all South African men to stand and fight the scourge of rape and gender-based violence (GBV) by taking part in the 365 Days of no Violence against Women and Children campaign.
"It is critical that as a country and society, we encourage men to take action in denouncing the continuation of the trend of rape and violence against women and children, while equally addressing the underlying causes of violent masculinity and physical abuse against women and children," DWYPD Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said.
Violence against women and children in the form of physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse is rampant in every country, and South Africa is not exempt, the Minister said.
At least one in three women experience violence at some stage in their lives, with intimate partner violence reported as the most common.
The Minister said South Africa, like many other countries, has adopted legislative provisions aimed at addressing violence against women and children.
She warned that failure to enforce laws, including laws against domestic violence, rape and human trafficking, which were adopted over the past decade, will limit their impact.
Through the implementation of the resolutions of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBV, Dlamini-Zuma said the department continues to work with stakeholders to combat the rampant level of violence against women and children.
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She said the department has partnered with the taxi industry in implementing the NSP, as well as training its members on GBV, including raising awareness.
"Social norms, religious and traditional values, patriarchy and gender relationships contribute to dominant notions of masculinity, which eventually undermine women and children's inalienable right to existence. A clarion call by the NSP on GBV amplifies the need to increase programmes aimed at engaging men and boys in fighting the scourge of violence against women and children.
"Using our criminal justice system, we are calling for more protective laws for women and children, with tougher and stiffer punishment for perpetrators of GBV needed to curb the scourge of femicide plaguing South Africa," Dlamini-Zuma said.
