Imagine living in a society where we no longer read or hear about the abuse that women and children often suffer at the hands of heartless perpetrators.
This year’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children takes place within the broader context of the country’s 28 years of democracy.
One of the achievements of the campaign over the years has been the bringing together of all sectors of the society, including civil society organisations to speak in one voice against this scourge ‘many voices one message’, which then spoke to fighting this scourge of violence for 365 days.
Despite the high level of awareness of the 16 Days Campaign, the pandemic remains a cause for concern in society. Domestic violence continues to be a deadly crime, a social menace, and a costly public health and economic problem.
The brutal killing of women and children despite laws having been instituted to criminalize brutal behaviour and to improve the safety of women and children, shows that there is a need to move from policy to action and provide stronger focus than ever on prevention and early intervention to support women and children against this scourge.
The country from 25 November to 10 December annually commemorates the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children.
The campaign aims to provide a platform to engage all stakeholders across race, gender, age and other divides to commit to collectively fight this scourge in society and to relook at the available strategies on the eradication of violence against women and children.
