President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday urged fellow South African to unite in fighting “the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV)” that costs the country up to US$2.8 billion annually.
The president said this in his weekly address three days ahead of the forthcoming global commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence that starts on Wednesday.
“According to a 2017 study, the economic cost of gender-based violence in South Africa is between US$1.9 billion and US$2.8 billion a year,” Ramaphosa said.
He noted that individuals and families bore the greatest proportion of the costs – from reduced income to replacement of broken property as well as transportation to seek care or attend trial following GBV incidents.
In addition, the productivity of women in abusive relationships is also negatively affected, and so is the so-called second-generation impact such as the cost of services for children and others who were affected in the violent incidents.
Ramaphosa noted that while the government could come up with laws and policies to stop the scourge, it would take citizens themselves working with care and other stakeholders to end GBV within their communities.
“It is about driving fundamental change in societal attitudes that allow sexism, male chauvinism and patriarchy to thrive,” he said.
This drive therefore has to be owned by those closest to the victims of GBV to make any difference in alleviating the malpractice from society, he said.
The president paid tribute to health workers, police officers, prosecutors, and judges for their frontline roles in fighting GBV in the country, saying their roles were “no less important or impactful.”
“It is clear then that not only is eradicating gender-based violence a moral and human rights imperative, it is also key to us realising our developmental potential as a country,” the president said.
NM/jn/APA