South Africa President Ramaphosa announce four immediate measures to tackle violence against women
Wia dis foto come from, Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa don announce four immediate measures to tackle violence against women.
Im announcement for one televised national address on Tuesday, 29 September, dey come afta police discova di deadi bodi of twelve women in and around Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, within just two months.
Di discoveries don cause widespread alarm for Ekurhuleni, particularly around Kempton Park, and e dey come against di backdrop of longstanding concerns about high levels of violence against women for South Africa.
Most of di victims na young women wey dey dia 20s or 30s, and almost all of dem bin suffer serious violence bifor dia deaths.
Wetin be di four immediate measures?
1. National case-recovery operation
President Ramaphosa say e don direct di Minister of Police and di Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, wey go work wit di South African Police Service and National Prosecuting Authority to undertake national case-recovery operation wey go focus on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences wey involve women and children.
"Within 60 days, dis audit gatz identify di number and age of unresolved cases, cases wey dey wait for forensic evidence, cases wia suspects don dey identified but neva chop arrest, and cases wia investigative or prosecutorial action don dey unreasonably delayed," e tok.
E say within 90 days, individual recovery plans gatz dey in place for priority cases and cases wey don delay.
"Each plan gatz identify di outstanding action, di responsible official and di deadline for moving di case forward."
2. Plan to reduce forensic backlog
President Ramaphosa say e don direct di Minister of Police, di National Commissioner of Police and di relevant forensic authorities to present, within 60 days, a funded plan to reduce forensic backlogs and establish clear turnaround standards for priority gender-based violence and femicide cases.
E say di plan gatz set out di size and age of di backlog, shortages of personnel and equipment, di resources wey dey required and di dates by which di backlog go dey reduced.
"Priority forensic samples in cases wey involve di rape or murder of women and children gatz dey ring-fenced for urgent processing.
"Progress against di turnaround standards gatz dey reported publicly evri quarter," di president tok.
3. Women safety audit for evri municipality
Di president say evri municipality gatz begin women safety audit witout delay as e add say high-risk areas gatz dey identified to dey work wit provincial govments and di police.
"Within sixty days, dis audits gatz identify broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and facilities, poorly secured parks and oda conditions wey dey place women at risk.
"Within 90 days of completing di audit, di most urgent hazards gatz dey addressed or included in a funded implementation plan wit clear completion dates," e tok.
Di president say di results of di audits and progress in correcting di identified hazards go dey published so dat communities fit see wetin don dey identified, wetin don dey fixed and wetin remain for dem to do.
"Provincial and municipal authorities gatz intensify enforcement of existing liquor laws and by-laws, particularly against unlicensed outlets and establishments wey dey trade outside permitted hours."
4. Coordinated legislative and enforcement package to reduce alcohol-related violence
President Ramaphosa say e don direct di Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, wey go work wit di Ministers of Health, Social Development, Police and Cooperative Govnance, to submit to Cabinet within 60 days coordinated legislative and enforcement package to reduce alcohol-related violence.
"Alcohol no dey cause gender-based violence and e no fit excuse am. Na di perpetrator get di responsibility.
"But harmful alcohol use na ogbonge aggravating factor for interpersonal violence, and e gatz dey addressed as part of our wider prevention effort," e tok.
President Ramaphosa say women no suppose dey live in fear becos "govment don fail to repair a light, clear a public space, process evidence or enforce a law".
According to di president, evri sphere of govment gatz understand say di safety of women na part of govment responsibility.
"Our constitutional obligation to jointly secure di well-being of all South Africans, to assist and support one anoda and to coordinate our actions compel us to fulfil dis responsibility.
"Di Inter-Ministerial Committee and di National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide go monitor dis measures and issue consolidated public progress reports evri quarter.
"A first consolidated report gatz dey issued within ninety days, wit public progress reports evri quarter thereafter," President Ramaphosa tok.
'Time don reach to call am wetin e be: Femicide'
Di killings of di twelve women for South Africa don spark fear for di kontri, especially among women wey say dem no feel save for dia own kontri anymore.
Minister of Social Development Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe tok say dem dey treat di issue as national disaster.
Rights group Amnesty International say one important first step towards protecting South Africa women na to recognise femicide as separate crime.
"Evri day wey femicide remain unrecognised as a crime na failure to confront di targeted killing of women," Amnesty kontri director Shenilla Mohamed tok for one statement. "Time don reach to call am wetin e be: Femicide."
Apart from di women murders, gun violence dey happun. Just ova di weekend, twenty-seven pipo die inside two separate mass shootings, few hours apart for South Africa, for di latest gun violence to hit di kontri.
For anoda separate shooting for di early hours of Sunday morning, 27 September, gunmen kpai10 pipo outside one entertainment venue for one township near Cape Town and 11 pipo injure from di attack.
South Africa get one of di highest rates of gender-based violence for di world.
While South African police statistics no dey differentiate victims by gender, di South African Human Rights Commission last week say dem don kill 569 women and 1,052 odas don survive attempted murder between April and June dis year
