SPEECH (NOTES) BY KWAZULU-NATAL MEC FOR TRANSPORT, COMMUNITY SAFETY AND LIAISON MR. BHEKI CELE AT THE COMMEMORATION OF 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM ON NO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT PIETERMARITZBURG ON FRIDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2004.

All Protocol Observed

• For the past ten years, the 16 Days of Activism has marked activities around the world to end gender violence.

• The 16 Day campaign has been used to create a global movement to raise awareness, to address policy and legal issues, to campaign for the protection of survivors of violence, and to call for the elimination of all forms of gender violence.

• The 25th of November, the day that marks the start of the campaign, was declared International Day Against Violence Against Women at the first Feminist Encuentro for Latin America and the Caribbean held in Bogota, Colombia in 1981.

• This day was chosen to commemorate the death of the Mirabal sisters in 1960 by the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.

• The day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1999 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

• Our gathering here today reflects our unity in opposing, rejecting and reporting the rapes, murders and assaults of our women and children. Our rejection of these social evils must be accompanied by an acceptance of the supreme values of Ubuntu. At the centre of Ubuntu, lies a deep respect for the sanctity of life and the inherent dignity of the human personality.

• These values must rule our lives not only during social occasions, but also in the privacy of our homes, far from public scrutiny.

• Scores of women and children are still physically, sexually and emotionally abused daily.

• With regards to children, both girls and boys are subjected to violence, and experience different patterns of abuse and vulnerability.

• Girls are sometimes at a higher risk of sexual abuse, or forms of family violence.

• Boys, on the other hand, could be discriminated against in ways that could make them subject to brutal forms of school or family 'discipline', not applied to girls.

• Women and children must be protected from cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, including neglect, and sexual or verbal abuse.

• I will work tirelessly to expose, oppose and combat all violence directed against women and children, in whatever form and wherever we encounter it, be it at our homes, schools, or workplaces.

• This message is especially relevant to the Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Portfolio. As the Executing Authority for this portfolio in KwaZulu-Natal, I am constitutionally and morally obligated to spread this message to all our stakeholders in the province, and to ensure that those who commit crimes against women and children are arrested and dealt with appropriately.

• All forms of violence against women and children, including psychological and emotional abuse, must be combated. All forms of violence must be considered unacceptable.

• Another major problem is the impact of HIV/AIDS on the daily lives of our children. They all run the potential risk of being infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

• Adequate preventative measures can only be provided to children, if their rights are fully respected, including their right to access to information and material aimed at the promotion of their social, spiritual and moral well-being.

• Children should have the right to an appropriate standard of living, as well as the right to privacy.

• Protection and adequate care can only be provided in an environment which promotes and protects all rights, especially:

• the right not to be separated from parents;
• the right to be protected from violence;
• the right to special protection and assistance by the State;
• the rights of children with disabilities;
• the right to health;
• the right to social security;
• the right to be protected from economic exploitation; from illicit use of narcotic drugs and from sexual exploitation;
• the right to be protected from abduction, sale and trafficking as well as torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment; and
• the right to physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration.

• Let us protect our women and children at home, in schools, in our communities, as well as on our roads by driving safely and ensuring that their lives are safe.

• I believe a violent father at home, is a violent driver on the road, and vice-versa.

• As we head into the festive season, our roads must be peaceful places where men and women, as well as our children are able to enjoy the majestic splendour of our country. We must all be able to use our roads, without suffering the indignities of swear words, directed against us by reckless/arrogant drivers or pedestrians. 

• Please expose and report these crimes to our Mpimpa Hotline at 086 22110 10. By so doing, you will have played a very significant role in combating violence and abuse on our roads.

• Finally, I want to take this opportunity to encourage all road users here in KwaZulu-Natal and the rest of South Africa, to drive safely and treat others with respect during the festive period and beyond, especially women and children who may be fellow drivers, passengers or pedestrians.

I thank you.

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