President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially launched the Gender-Based Violence Response Fund.
The fund in question is aimed at aiding victims of GBV and femicide.
Its establishment stems from the GBV Summit held in 2018 where multiple sectors were encouraged to band together and make contributions towards ending the scourge faced by many women and young girls in South Africa.
It also follows the Emergency Response Action Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide that was implemented between October 2019 and March 2020 and covered areas of intervention such as access to justice for victims and survivors, changing norms and behaviours through high-level prevention efforts, as well as empowering women towards economic emancipation.
While the fund is much needed, it is imperative to look at a few critical factors surrounding violence against women in this country.
Firstly, it is noteworthy to analyse the lack of urgency and immediate attention that has seemingly been given to issues affecting women over the years. For instance, how is it that the Presidency has taken almost two and-a-half years to implement the fund when discussions took place so long ago?
This move is symptomatic of the trends that women are subjected to daily such as in reporting rape, abuse or applying for a protection order at police stations in the country, only for the process to be marred by delays.
Secondly, it is imperative for the government to stipulate clearly who will oversee this fund and how the process will unfold. We can’t have a situation where women are in desperate need of help, only to be told there is a shortage of resources. Transparency and accountability are required.
Thirdly, 2021 needs to be the year in which we see tangible results in the country’s fight against GBV. No longer can we afford to host marches or partake in endless talk shops while during the discussions women are killed, raped or young girls are trafficked to foreign countries.
It has been said that South Africa has a second pandemic, of GBV and femicide. We must not wait for matters to spiral out of control, but must act immediately with compassion and love for women and young girls in our country and for generations to come.
The Star