No more violence against women 27- 11 - 06

“No more violence against women and children!” says COSATU

The Congress of South African Trade Unions fully supports the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, the international United Nations-backed campaign against the appalling levels of violence inflicted on the world’s women and children, which is taking place from 25 November to 10 December.

The goal is the elimination of all forms of violence against women and children, to be achieved by:

Raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at local, national, regional and international levels
Strengthening local work around violence against women
Establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
Providing a forum in which organisers can develop and share new and effective strategies
Demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organising against violence against women
Creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women

In South Africa every day, women and children are brutally assaulted, raped and killed. As well as the physical impact this has a massive mental and psychological impact on those affected. As People Opposing Women Abuse said in 2005: “Violence against women is traumatic to the body, mind, and spirit and can prevent women from being fully active participants at home and in the world.”

COSATU and SACCAWU are currently fighting a case of alleged sexual harassment by employers at Makro in Germiston, where workers have been sacked for supporting the victim and the employers are dragging their feet. We agree with SACCAWU that “sexual harassment and the violence that is inherent in it is not taken seriously – not by the bosses, not by the police, not by society in general!” SACCAWU has endeavoured to fight these injustices tooth-and-nail and COSATU is giving full support.

A more widespread problem is that the majority of women lack economic independence. The high levels of unemployment which deprive millions of women of the chance of a job and an income, or at best restrict them to low-paid, insecure jobs make this problem even worse.

That is why COSATU always links the campaign against violence to its Jobs and Poverty campaign. Until women have quality jobs and their wages and working conditions are raised to a level that allows them to live independent lives, they will always be a risk from men on whom they are economically dependent.

Laws have been passed to protect women workers. NEDLAC has a Code of Good Practice on handling sexual harassment and the Domestic Violence Act sets out rights for workers, which are supposed to protect women workers facing the worst forms of exploitation. COSATU is doing as much as it can to educate workers and communities about these laws and help to get them enforced.

But far too often these laws are mere pieces of paper for both women workers whose employers ignore their provisions, and women at home who are at the mercy of abusive partners.

Another big problem is how to break the silence about abuse, and to fight the attitude that violence against women partners can be dismissed as a family matter that does not require legal intervention.

We insist that violence women and children is always illegal, always wrong and always a violation of the fundamental human right to live in safety and security. We also insist that society must respect of women’s freedom of movement at all times of day, and in all parts of the country and freedom to dress in a manner that they choose.

We welcome the South African government’s pledge to support the 16 Days of Activism, to take its message to the grassroots level and beyond the borders of South Africa, and to strengthen our partnership against AIDS, since, as they rightly say, “the vulnerability of women is a key factor in the spread of the HIV infection”.

COSATU supports the Cabinet’s call on everyone to support the campaign by, among other things, wearing the white ribbon to raise awareness and demonstrate support for our women and children. “Wearing the ribbon tells victims and survivors of abuse that we are all united in the fight against all forms of abuse against women and children.”

We will never be able to claim victory in the struggle to transform society so long as women and children are being battered, harassed, intimidated and denied their constitution rights. No society can claim to be civilised while such daily assaults on our most vulnerable fellow human beings continue. All other human rights are insignificant if women and children are denied the most basic right to personal safety.

Activities will take place from 25 November to 10 December. The details will follow in a separate statement.