Women'sNet newsletter

AS WE mark the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, the sport and recreation fraternity takes a stand against any form of abuse against our mothers, sisters and children.Women form part and parcel of the future design of this country and the world. We celebrate our mothers, sisters and daughters by highlighting the importance of females in society. Since the advent of democracy in 1994, South Africa has shown the world how women's emancipation is and will be. We are all of the same umbilical cord that cannot be broken in the fight against HIV and Aids.

This year's 16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women and Children will cover challenges faced by lesbian women, including so called 'corrective rape'. Minister of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana announced this in Parliament yesterday.
The campaign is to be launched in Atteridgeville outside Pretoria on November 25. Making the announcement, Xingwana highlighted that this year’s campaign will cover challenges of attacks on lesbian women. She said, “We’ll seek to raise community awareness about the need to address so-called corrective rape and murder of lesbian women.”

We literally only have hours now to stop the Secrecy Bill -- the National Assembly is called to vote on it this afternoon.

Call Chief Whip Dr. Motshekga's office: 021 403 2288 or 021 403 2280 or 021 403 3860

Call Deputy President Mr. Motlanthe's office: 021 403 2353 or 021 403 2635

The other Chief Whips:

Call Chief Whip Mr. Magwanishe's offices:
Cape Town -- 021 403 2211 // Constituency -- 011 873 7753

Call Chief Whip Ms. Ntwanambi's offices:
Cape Town -- 021 403 2429 // Constituency -- 021 785 4610

Call Chief Whip Mr. Davidson's office: 083 302 2199

On the eve of the COP17/CMP7 United Nations Climate Change Conference and amid intense public discussion on the National Planning Commission’s National Development Plan, we dare not lose focus on a challenge that is a lot closer to home. In fact, it often presents itself right inside our homes: abuse of women and children. With a week to go to the start of the annual United Nations-endorsed 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign, South Africans should spend time reflecting on some of the causes that are at the foundation of the criminal, psychological and educational challenges facing our country.
A fully functional and integrated society depends on mutual respect and a moral code that permeates the daily life of all its citizens.
As a nation, most of us are united in our vision of a country free of violence, sexual abuse and behaviour that is not in line with the core values and beliefs we endorse. We all believe our homes, schools, hospitals and streets should be safe havens where no woman or child should ever be troubled by thoughts or the physical prospect of harm.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

22 November 2011

Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) notes with deep regret the decision taken in the National Assembly today to pass the Protection of Information Bill.

We call on President Zuma and the African National Congress to follow through on their pledge of a fully public and consultative process on this Bill. While civil society, including Media Monitoring Africa, has stated its willingness to challenge the Bill at the Constitutional Court, we believe it is not too late for President Zuma to ensure the Bill can pass constitutional muster. We call on President Zuma to send the Bill back for revision.

A SERIES of awareness campaigns and activities are planned for 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, with special attention paid to crimes against lesbians. Joburg’s observance of the annual international campaign, which runs from 25 November – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – to 10 December, will begin in Alexandra. Here, about 500 people are expected to take part in a Taking Back the Night march.The march, which is held to reclaim the right to be safe in all places at all times, will go through Alex hotspots that are known to be unsafe for women and children.

Read more: http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74...

Gender-based violence is one of the most common forms of violence in the world.
It takes various forms including physical violence, emotional violence, sexual violence and economic violence. Whilst perpetrators of GBV are found among both men and women, recent studies undertaken in many countries have found a high prevalence of physical and sexual violence against women by intimate male partners. Statistics from the United Nations Population Fund indicate that 95 percent of victims of domestic violence are women, while 99 percent of perpetrators are men.
GBV has devastating consequences, not only for victims, but also for society as a whole. It impacts women’s health, particularly reproductive health. GBV eats up earnings due to death and lost productivity, job loss, lost productivity of the abuser due to incarceration, and loss of tax revenue due to death and incarceration.

We are writing to you from AWID's Where is the Money for Women's Rights? (WITM) Initiative. WITM carries out research on funding trends for women's rights and gender equality work around the world. We are now launching a global survey of women's rightsorganizations and groups to obtain data on the trends, size and sustainability of funding of women's organizations globally. The results will be used to help women's movements and organizations globally advocate for more and better quality resources for women's rights organizing and gender equality.

CONVICTED rapists and housebreakers Jacinto Chilenge, 26, and Felix Machava, 33, will spend the rest of their lives in jail. Yesterday’s sentencing brought closure to the thugs’ rape spree that stretched from April 2009 to April last year as they forced their way into the homes of seven Bramfischerville women and raped and terrorised the occupants.
“Rape is a cancer in our society; it destroys the self-respect and dignity of the rape victim,” said Johannesburg High Court Judge Fritz van Oosten as he began sentencing the rapists yesterday.

Government is to launch a National Council that will focus on child abuse, said Women, Children and People with Disabilities Minister, Lulu Xingwana. Speaking at the National Children's Day celebrations on Saturday, Xingwana said one of the greatest challenges facing the country was the protection of its children. "We have too many children being attacked, raped and killed," she said adding that muti-killings must stop. Xingwana has written to several ministers including Justice Minister Jeff Radebe about the need to focus on muti-killings.

“I was terrified. I kept screaming, and then he threatened to punch my baby through my stomach if I didn't stop,” said a pregnant woman from Kachin State, describing her rape at the hands of a Burmese government soldier. “I was so afraid. All I could do was cry while he brutally raped me,” she said, sobbing. The woman was speaking to women's rights researchers who had traveled to war-torn Kachin State to produce a documentary about sexual violence perpetrated against women in the conflict zone. She was just one of 18 women known to have been raped by Burmese soldiers in the state, where the Burmese army is mounting a major offensive against the Kachin Independence Army. The documentary, produced by the Thailand-based Women's League of Burma (WLB) and titled “Bringing Justice to Women,” makes harrowing viewing.

Western Cape education authorities are considering expelling three Oudtshoorn High School pupils for allegedly making a sex video.
"A disciplinary hearing was held and the school governing body has made the recommendation... that the three learners be expelled," provincial education spokesperson Bronagh Casey said on Monday.
"The head of department’s office has received the documents from the school governing body and is now processing the recommendation."