Families and households across the nation will already know the grip GBV and femicide has placed on women in SA. During the pandemic, activists argued that it was a pandemic all in its own, with movements like #AmINext surfacing as a means to change. Now, said change has been set into motion for SA, with the recent announcement of the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill. Here’s what the bill promises:
On the 10th of September, the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities published the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill. The Bill seeks to establish an independent, ‘multi-sectoral’ National Council to coordinate and implement a national strategic plan to end gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide in South Africa.
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The responsibility of The National Council is to ensure that information on the best practices regarding the prevention and elimination of GBV is available and accessible. Objectives of the council also include managing the approach to GBV and femicide ‘in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.’ These ‘stakeholders’ have not yet been defined in the Bill.
The National Strategic Plan is set to be established within 6 months of the National Council’s inception and the plan will be reviewed every five years. The responsibility of the National Council will be:
- To ensure adequate resources to deal with GBV and femicide,
- Develop education and training programmes on combatting these issues
- Establish multi-sectoral structures to jointly prevent and respond to it.
The council will consist of a board of 13 members, ten of those members will be female. Seven members will be appointed from civil society organisations and the remaining six will represent various government departments and the South African Police Services.
Whilst the establishment of the National Council is only a small step in the face of an overwhelming social endemic, protection against GBV and femicide in South Africa is long overdue.
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