Zuma set on safer country for women

RUSTENBURG: President Jacob Zuma says the government will use all the resources at its disposal to make the country safer for women and children.

Speaking at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign in Polokwane on Friday, Zuma said: “This campaign is about uniting all in our country behind one message, that women and children must be safe and must feel safe at home, in the streets and anywhere in the country.”

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children is an international awareness campaign. It takes place every year from November 25 to December 10.

South Africa adopted the campaign in 1998 as one of the intervention strategies towards creating a society free of violence. The campaign continues to raise awareness about the negative impact of violence against women and children on all members of the community.

Zuma said violence against women and children manifests itself openly in serious crimes such as murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm or human trafficking.

“What is of serious concern is that most women are attacked by men they know and in most cases men they are intimate with – their husbands or partners. We are losing more and more women at the hands of their violent intimate partners.”

Zuma said studies show women often turn a blind eye to the violence in their relationships or sometimes prefer to live in denial.

He said violence against women has been declared a priority crime and women must not be scared to report the perpetrators to the police.