South Africa is a society currently characterized by excessive levels of violence and abuse being directed at our women and children. The Challenges for South Africa
South Africa is a society currently characterized by excessive levels of violence and abuse being directed at our women and children. Babies as young as three weeks old are being r***d in South Africa and shocking statistics like 1 i
n 3 women will be r***d once in their lifetime abound. Name and Shame Children and Women Abusers believe that our women and children represent the future of our country and that urgent action needs to be taken to arrest this intolerable situation. The causes of such violence are obviously multi-faceted and will require long-term strategic interventions. In particular, the Name and Shame Children and Women Abusers believe that poverty and the resultant social breakdown are in some measure responsible for people not respecting the value of life in South Africa. Ultimately the solution to combating violence against women and children has to be placed within a context of a comprehensive strategy to alleviate poverty and inequality in South Africa. Name and Shame Children and Women Abusers further believes that a moral regeneration needs to take place in our society, whereby every South African comes to understood how vital each of our roles are in our homes, family, community, workplace, and nation. Having said that though, Name and Shame Children and Women Abusers believe that there are a number of basic interventions that must be taken in the short term to arrest the scourge of women and child abuse. At present, the justice system seems to be failing the victims of r**e in this country. Minimum r**e sentences are not being enforced. Bail is cheap - and cases get postponed - sometimes for years. The justice system seems to lend itself more to the assistance of the perpetrator than to the victim as evidenced by a perpetrator of r**e being entitled to free legal representation while the victim is not. In the area of child protection it needs to be said that the present Government has since 1994 embarked on a period of intensive law and policy reform. Much that either has already been enacted or is in Bill form (Sexual Offences Bill, Children's Bill, Child Justice Bill) is exemplary in its rights-based approach to the issues that affect children in South Africa. There is still much that needs to be done though.
