Cyber dialogues end with a call to action on Human Rights Day

The cyber dialogues that had South Africa ?chatting? about gender justice for the last sixteen days closed in Johannesburg on Human Rights Day with a strong call to ensure that ?peace begins at home.?
The cyber dialogues that had South Africa “chatting” about gender justice for the last sixteen days closed in Johannesburg on Human Rights Day with a strong call to ensure that “peace begins at home.”

In a statement issued by Gender Links on behalf of the NGO partners who participated in the initiative* the organisers said that the dialogues had “opened an unprecedented space for those most directly affected to speak out.” This happened both in the face-to-face discussions that took place at 66 centres in all nine provinces as well as in the daily lunch time chats that allowed these groups to pose questions to the 55 experts and decision-makers who took part in the cyber dialogues on different days.

On every day of the dialogues held under the banner of “Making IT work for gender justice” at least one person came online to say that they had been raped. ‘Lalu’ sent this message on the 8 December: “I was brutally raped by my employer….Because I earn R900 I could not afford to get a lawyer. I am now unemployed, where and what help can I get help?” Lalu received several messages back with the contact information for organisations that could help her.

In the live discussion in Alexandra on the same day, Nellie Baloi said that in the ten years of South Africa’s freedom, her testimony before the group had been the first time that she had experienced personal freedom. She recounted how earlier this year her partner sought her out at her mother’s house where she had taken refuge; burnt her house and doused her with petrol, ready to burn her alive. He committed suicide after neighbours came to the rescue.

Organisers of the cyber dialogues saluted “the courage of those who have taken the space provided by the Sixteen Days of Activism on Gender Violence to speak out. We must not let them down. It is now up to all of us as a nation to secure that space with concrete action.”

NGOs expressed concern that despite the government commitment to the campaign, the Sexual Offences Bill that has been on the cards since 1996, has still not been passed. In particular, they urged the government to reinstate the treatment clause that had been removed by the justice portfolio committee on grounds that it had not been sufficiently costed.

“It is inconsistent that this bill should make provisions for the rehabilitation of perpetrators, and then say noting about the treatment and care of those affected,” said GL Director Colleen Lowe Morna. “This provision is especially important because of the widespread findings that Post Exposure Prophylaxis is not available to survivors of sexual assault in many health facilities.”

PEP is a course of anti retroviral drugs which, if taken within 72 hours of exposure to the possibility of HIV infection can reduce the chances of transmission. Currently this is provided for in government policy but not in law.
During the cyber dialogues Esther Maluleke of the Ministry of Health said that her ministry will be conducting an audit in 2005 on the availability of Post Exposure Prophylaxis to reduce the possibility of HIV infection for the survivors of sexual assault.

Maluleke also announced that in response to research showing that only 16 percent of the few women who have taken the treatment adhere to it, the department is looking at how to integrate this provision into home-based care, including the possibility of “treatment buddies”.

Other important commitments made by the government during the cyber dialogues that will now be closely monitored by civil society partners include:
• Peter Durandt of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development said that the department would be launching a hotline to receive complaints or hear about difficulties that survivors of sexual assault are experiencing with the courts.
• Susan Pienaar of the South African Police Service (SAPS) said that the police will be launching an integrated inter-sectoral training programme on domestic violence in 2005.
• Robbie Raburabu of the Independent Complaints Directorate outlined the role of the IDC in receiving complaints about the police and their handling of domestic violence matters. He urged the public to make greater use of this facility.
• Following criticism that the government is doing little to support places of safety and care for survivors of sexual assault, Deputy Minister of Social Development Jean Benjamin announced that her department will be building nine new shelters per province each year over the next three years as well as 29 one stop centres for survivors of sexual assault.

Participants in the daily discussions stressed that at the root of gender violence is the inequality between women and men reflected in every sphere of life, and reinforced by custom, culture, tradition, the media and religion. The may long term solutions proposed centre on empowering women as well as changing the attitudes of men. As one “chatter” put it: “South African men wake up. The world is watching you!” And another: “Bring back ubuntu!”

Survivors of gender violence said that services offered to them should include vocational training and finding employment. Several recommendations related to making information technology more accessible to rural areas as part of a broader campaign to empower women. As one participant put it: “This chat is such a wonderful medium – let us use it constructively to seriously better life in our communities.”

A SUMMARY OF ACTION POINTS IDENTIFIED DURING THE CYBER DIALOGUES IS ATTACHED. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL COLLEEN ON 082 651 6995 OR KUBI ON 082-378-8239

SUMMARY OF ACTION POINTS FROM THE CYBER DIALOGUES

Legislation
• The Sexual Offences Bill must be passed into law as a matter of urgency.
• The PEP treatment clause for survivors of sexual assault must be re-instated into the Sexual Offences Bill. The consenting age for sexual intercourse should be changed to 18, the same age as voting.
• There is a need to look at the legal status of some workers, for example sex workers and informal traders have difficulty accessing legal solutions because their professions are in the mainstream.

Services
• Services offered to survivors of sexual assault should include vocational training.
• Make communities aware of the presence of maintenance investigators whose job it is to trace maintenance defaulters. 82 have already been appointed and by the end of the year there will be 140.
• SAPS will be launching an inter-sectoral training programme for the police around the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act in 2005.
• PEP must be made available at all hospitals. KimKZN said: “By not offering PEP in all hospitals we are failing our people especially women.”
• To monitor the Department of Health’s planned audit on the provision of PEP by hospitals.
• To review Department of Health’s research on the strategies of dealing with rape, research findings will be available in 2005.
• Need to establish victim empowerment centres in communities with well-trained personnel.
• To increase the support to and monitoring of child-headed households.
• The Department of Transport needs to look at the provision of public transport for people with disabilities.
• There needs to be legal aid centres set up, particularly in rural areas. The centres should cover a broad range of legal matters such as maintenance, protection orders, etc.
• Certain legal forms are available in English and should be translated in other languages.
• Monitor the government’s roll out of nine shelters per province each year for three years and 29 one stop centres.
• Check whether the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has established a hotline to receive complaints and hear about difficulties people are experiencing in cases involving domestic violence.

Public education, training and awareness building
• Education should start early, at home and in schools. The school curriculum should be reviewed, evaluated and restructured to ensure that issues of gender equality are integrated into teaching.
• Need to educate the public about the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) so that women who have received poor treatment from the police can come forward and lay complaints.
• Need to create partnerships with men in the struggle for gender equality.
• Children need to be educated and made aware of their rights.
• The critical linkages between gender and HIV/AIDS must be kept on the agenda. “As a disease HIV/AIDS is a health issue; as a pandemic it is a gender issue.”- Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UNIFEM.
• People with disabilities from Ivory Park will hold education and awareness workshops with the taxi associations in the Midrand about their transport needs.
• There needs to be awareness campaigns on what sexual harassment is and what support is available to a person who is sexually harassed.

Media
• The media should assess how they portray women and men and how this contributes to gender inequality.
• The media should not sensationalise gender violence but speak to survivors and give them the opportunity to tell their stories.
• The media, especially community radio, must be part of public awareness and education campaigns on gender violence.
• The public should lodge complaints when they have concerns about media coverage.

Information technology
• Make cyber dialogues much more accessible to rural areas.
• Use IT for petitions and mass campaigns.
• Those who have access to IT should share it, pass on knowledge and resources.

* The cyber dialogues in South Africa were coordinated by a team comprising civil society organisations including the Southern African Gender and Media Network (SAGEM) led by Gender Links, the Network on Violence Against Women and Women’sNet; private sector partners including Microsoft, TELKOM and Datacentrix; the Government of South Africa through the Department of Correctional Services, Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS) and the City of Johannesburg which is serving as a hub. Content, facilitation and arrangements for each day are being made by a consortium of NGOs including: Gender Links, the Gender Advocacy Programme, ADAPT, NISAA Institute for Women’s Development; Tshwaranang, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Network on Violence Against Women, Amnesty International, Gender Aids Forum, Men’s Movement of South Africa and Sexual Harassment Project. Several NGOs, the GCIS multipurpose centres and councilors will facilitate discussions at community level. Regional links are taking place through the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network.