Actions, not just words when it comes to 16 Days of Activism

Wednesday marked the end of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign aimed at bringing the plague of violence against women and children to a standstill.

While words and social media hashtags are nice, actions carry weight. The reality is that we are failing to protect women and children from rape, domestic violence, assault and murder – often at the hands of their “protectors”.

On average, three women are murdered by their boyfriends, husbands or former lovers a day in South Africa. This year alone, 309 695 women were granted protection orders against their husbands or boyfriends.

In 2014 the courts witnessed cases involving some of the most horrific crimes committed against women and children.

The year started with the Brakpan community on Gauteng’s East Rand burying Jasmin Pretorius after the four-year-old was allegedly raped, strangled and murdered by her uncle Sarel du Toit. Du Toit, the 23-year-old brother of Jasmin’s father, returns to court next year. Du Toit has not yet pleaded.

More recently, in November the battered body of toddler Jamie Naidoo was allegedly found in her grandmother's bed in Chatsworth, south of Durban. According to reports, the three-year-old was covered in bruises and what appeared to be cigarettes burns; she also had several broken bones. When she was six months old she was taken to a place of safety after her mother allegedly sold her for a R100, and social workers placed her in her maternal grandmother’s care. Now the toddler’s primary caregivers, her 31-year-old mother and 55-year-old grandmother, are accused of causing her death.

A Springs, East Rand couple also made headlines this year after the two allegedly abused and locked up their five children, aged between two and 16, for several years. Details of the alleged torture which emerged in court include the 11-year-old son being hung from his wrists on a rope for two days and being hit a knob-kerrie. Their criminal case continues next year.

Shortly after these horrific details emerged, a similar case made headlines when an Alexandra, Johannesburg father was arrested for allegedly locking up his children for years. Police were notified after neighbours called social workers. Earlier this month the case was withdrawn after the both the father and mother were referred to an adult diversion programme for parenting skills.

While neighbours intervened in this case, in many of the other instances of abuse of women and children, those who knew about it or suspected something was amiss appear to have kept quiet.

Why do we let this happen? Is it fear; is it a feeling of helplessness; is it a case of not wanting to intrude on others’ privacy; or is it a matter of remaining in the safety of our comfort zones?

Either way, perhaps as we ponder our new year’s resolutions for 2015, we can think of ways that we can do our bit to protect the more vulnerable members of our society. It could be donating to a reputable nongovernmental organisation; it could be becoming a volunteer counsellor or providing other assistance; or it could simply be making an anonymous phone call to report suspected abuse.

Let’s not wait for the next 16 Days of Activism to do something.