Children march against violence
2013-03-08 17:36
Johannesburg - About 500 schoolchildren marched in
central Johannesburg on Friday to protest against increasing levels of violence
against women and children.
This was part of their participation in International
Women's Day.
Metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said the marchers
did not hand over a memorandum, but marched peacefully along Eloff, Plein, and
Webber streets.
The ANC said no one could truly be free unless women were
free.
"We bow our heads to the progressive women of the
world for having consistently fought to reclaim their position in
society," spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
"It is as a result of many years of hard-fought
battles... that women have registered a number of victories."
Mthembu said he was disheartened that violent crimes
against women and children continued.
"The ANC will spare neither strength nor effort in
confronting and ultimately defeating this scourge."
He called on communities and men to take a stand against
the crime, which sought to "dehumanise women".
"The ANC believes that no one can be truly free unless
our women are free. Similarly, no man can truly regard himself as a real man
until he stands up and defends the rights of a woman."
The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union
(Saccawu) said it supported calls for action to eliminate gender-based
violence.
"Saccawu stands in solidarity with the millions of
women and gender activists who are taking a stand against the increasing levels
of violence against women," its gender co-ordinator, Patricia Nyman, said
in a statement.
"Violence against women is on the increase, and we
cannot stand aside and continue to watch the barbaric acts of rape and sexual
violence being perpetrated. We have to act against it."
The ANC Women's League said the struggle for women was
far from over.
"It has been a traumatic few months for the women of
South Africa, where we have seen violence against women put under the spotlight
[with] extremely disturbing incidents of rape and murder [being
reported]," said spokeswoman Troy Martens.
"The people of South Africa are finally putting
their foot down... and [are] saying enough is enough."
Women’s rights
The National Education Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu)
said working women were still objects of harsh exploitation by a
"vicious" capitalist system.
"They work mainly in part-time, unprotected jobs,
where they are being paid less than their male counterparts," said spokesperson
Sizwe Pamla.
"They find themselves with inadequate pensions and
are the first to be retrenched during job cuts."
The Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) called on
President Jacob Zuma and other leaders to take a stronger approach towards
eliminating violence against women.
Fedusa would be implementing a project on sexual
harassment in an attempt to prevent violence against women in the workplace, it
said.
The campaign United for Iran called on Iranian
authorities to put an end to their "systematic assault" on women's
rights.
"We also honour those activists whose struggle to
end discrimination comes at great personal risk," it said.
The department of communication said violence against
women had reached unacceptable levels in South Africa.
It said technology, such as mobile phones, had helped
women protect themselves when they were in danger.
The FW de Klerk Foundation said despite progress made by
women in various fields, many of the almost 3.5 billion women on the planet
faced discrimination, violence and repression on a daily basis.
"South Africans ought to seriously reflect on the
current situation facing many women and girls in our country, especially
violence and gender-based violence..."
- SAPA
