Government partners with religious leaders against abuse
Minister of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, says the department will partner with the National Religious Leaders Committee, against gender-based violence.
This was during her recent address at a media launch held at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg.
She said the partnership would serve to highlight, assess and review progress made by government, the private sector and civil society in advancing women empowerment and gender equality.
“The scourge of gender-based violence that is ravaging our communities and our country is the reason we are here today. We want to solidify several productive engagements and plenary sessions held with the religious sector, which have since developed concrete programmes to be rolled out in our communities to help curb this scourge,” she said.
Xingwana also acknowledged the partnership that the National Religious Committee has with the Department of Education on the Bill of Responsibilities, that has since been rolled out in schools to teach children that as much as they have rights, those rights come with responsibilities.
“The Bill of Responsibilities has since been adopted by the Department of Education as part of the curriculum for learners in schools, and to further strengthen this effort we shall also rollout the Bill with families and communities,” she said.
She said that this was all part of rebuilding, and reclaiming communities in line with the principles of Ubuntu, anchored on respect and human dignity.
Senior pastor at Gods Way Ministries in Witfield, John Rushton welcomes this partnership and reiterates the minister’s words.
“The challenges of our society are so massive and are getting so entrenched that we need to call on all the leadership of our communities to promote the same message of Ubuntu,” he says.
Rushton says that perpetrators of violence against children, women and the elderly, must find themselves coming up against a united front standing against and opposing them.
“People who insist on violently enforcing their will over that of somebody else need to know that the community does not accept, and if this same message is coming from government, and religious leaders, and teachers, and everyone in leadership, then the tide of oppression by the violent can be turned,” he says.
Xingwana outlined the partnership with the National Religious Committee, highlighting programmes which will be rolled out in various communities.
These programs include:
* The Vikela Mzansi Campaign
* Bill of Responsibility Focus Week (October 18, 19, 20)
* A joint march (November)
* Further intensifying awareness of the Bill of Responsibilities through campaigns with schools and communities.
Xingwane invited all communities to participate in numbers when these campaigns take place.
