Ideas Ms Van der Merwe

It is so sad to see that the Parliament agreeing on this National Council for GBVF .Why the Parliament choose to duplicate the job that is supposed to be done by the existing structures. Imagine the millions that can be spent for this council while the country is facing a lot of crisis that need to be resolved.This is the day light fruitless expenditure .I was listening to the summary meeting video of DSD pmg about statutory rape,it was mentioned that the Ntional Treasury said there is no budget or funds for Social Workers, but suddenly there will be millions for National Council for GBVF.

I think if the President and Parliament committee can sit down and review the defination of GBVF ,the Parliament will realise that the government or the political part has already dealt with GBV .

GBV is defined in all versions as the violence to individuals because of their gender,it is encompasses of sexual ,economic,physical , emotional etc .e.g if a husband, boyfriend or any male want to have sex with a wife or girlfriend or any female ,then as a wife or girlfriend or you are a woman you must allow the man to have sex because you are a woman ( your gender) the man must use his power of his gender.When you are a girl or a woman you are forced to marry a man that you don't want ,because you are a woman( your gender) you must allow that (ukuthwalwa,ukwendiselwa) .When you are a boy or a girl you are forced that because you are a girl or boy there must be certain part of your body that must be taken or anything that must be done on your body because you are a girl or a boy ( gender) even if it is out of your will..The constitutional rights dealt with that ,everyone knows about such rights .The economical gender based violence was when women were deprived some job opportunities because they are women or they are forced by certain males husband or boyfriend not to work because they are women. The Employment Equity deals with that ,women's rights are protected when it comes to that women that listen to their partners and not work is out of their will.

The country is facing the frightening domestic violence that is happening in families or caused by family circumstances which encompasses of sexual ,economic, physical ,emotional abuse or violence as it is defined on GBV ,and all these are constituted by the law as crime. Both gender abuse each other,women kill their children whether male or female,men kill and rape children whether male or female.Women use muthis or hire people to kill men .IF the president , Parliament and the whole country can revise the term GBV they will understand that the rape and killing or the whole violence that continues in this country is not gender based but there are family factors and social factors that influence such crime or acts .Women are killed for different reasons like cheating if a woman cheated then men kill a women ,some women used the men financially then they leave them,some women didn't tell à men that they are not biological fathers when a men hear that they kill,women kill their male partner because they cheated or they want money .Some males rape because they were raped they didn't get professional help ,they were exposed to sex at the very young age or they watch ponograph.Others abuse because they grew up in abusive family and they didn't get professional help ,others kill women because they use drugs.Looking at whole of this ,it shows that the county will continue to have National Councils of all this challenges .

There are reactive measures in place to deal with this crimes ,SAPS arrest, NPA prosecute ,DCS incarcerate the offender.There are different components in government departments on high ranks or positions that get paid for crime prevention ,different bodies like NCPS that exist even now.So now how will the National Council for GBVF be able to fight the so called GBVF or the rape and killing and all the violence that is in the whole country that the existing departments and bodies was unable to do ,

The profound truth is that there is a missing part on the stake which is only Social Welfare Services that can play a vital proactive role in addressing physical and emotional violence ,murder and rape. Without a well intergrated Social Work Services tthat is easily accessible and visible to families and communities the government ,parliament and this National Council For GBVF wont do anything .This council won't go down to communities and if the Parliament doesn't categorize Social Work Services as essential service and National Treasury claim not to have budget for Social Workers ,but have those millions for the National Council for GBVF those members and civil society members will continue to sit down and get compensated from that 56 million.


Regards