Ramaphosa declares GBV and femicide a 'global crisis'

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared the scourge of GBV and femicide both a national and global crisis, reports the Cape Argus. He said no nation can thrive while its vulnerable citizens, including children and women, are abused by those who should be protecting them. This comes as various women’s rights organisations picketed at venues across the country to highlight the scourge of GBVF as part of G20 Summit-related protests. In 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ramaphosa had decried the increase in domestic violence cases in the country. Addressing the closing of the G20 Social Summit, Ramaphosa said the scourge of violence against women has now been further heightened. ‘No society can thrive as long as GBV and femicide continue and the agency of women is denied. The violence perpetrated by men against women erodes the social fabric of nations. Men and women are equal partners and must be actively involved to resolve power imbalances that normalise violence and silencing survivors,' he said. Ramaphosa stated that in SA this process will be sped up as the government is at the centre of protecting its most vulnerable citizens. ‘In SA, women need support and protection from the government and men. We are now going to classify GBVF as a global crisis to be addressed. We have agreed, among all our social partners, to take concerted efforts to end this crisis,’ he stated. Siya Monakali of Ilitha Labantu, an anti-GBVF advocacy group, said Ramaphosa’s pronouncement, while important, falls short on urgency as GBVF has Monakali said labelling GBVF a crisis without addressing structural conditions risks reinforcing a cycle of symbolic recognition without transformation.

Full Cape Argus report