Government on Gender Based Violence and Femicide

The four-point recovery plan announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to strengthen the national response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), reinforces Government's commitment to confronting GBVF with urgency.

 

The recovery plan announced aims to strengthen the systems of policing, investigation, forensic processing, prosecution and community safety that are required to protect women and children and ensure access to justice. The measures include a national case-recovery operation focused on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children, as well as a plan to reduce forensic backlogs and improve turnaround times for priority GBVF cases.

 

Government calls for heightened community vigilance and participation in their local structures to make their neighbourhood safer. Government also calls on communities to work with law-enforcement agencies by reporting criminal activity, providing information that can assist investigations and supporting survivors of gender-based violence and femicide. The fight against GBVF and crime requires Government to act decisively, institutions to perform effectively, communities to remain vigilant and every sector of society to reject violence.

 

All South Africans must challenge harmful attitudes and reject violence. Men and boys have a particularly important role to play. Speak out against violence, challenge harmful behaviour and reject notions of masculinity that normalise domination, abuse and violence. Silence and turning a blind eye to abuse cannot become normalised.

South Africans must stand together against GBVF, crime, intimidation and violence, and to exercise their constitutional rights peacefully and within the law.

 

Enquiries:

Nomonde Mnukwa
Acting Government Spokesperson
Cell: 083 653 7485
 

William Baloyi
Deputy Government Spokesperson
Cell: 083 390 7147

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