Local government key to ending gender violence

On the eve of the kick-off to this year’s 16 Days campaign activities, Gender Links was informed that one of our very own staff members, KB Ntsabane, from our Botswana office, was attacked and mugged after her car broke down on the way to a Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) fundraising dinner.

Although she suffered no severe injuries, she was left sore and bruised and she lost her phone.

These past weeks in South Africa we have also been haunted by the “honeymoon murder” -a young British couple on their honeymoon in South Africa, hijacked in Gugulethu, Cape Town, the young newlywed wife brutally murdered, and the husband left unharmed. The community of Gugulethu was up in arms; disappointed and embarrassed by the fact that they were now receiving international media coverage, but unfortunately for the brutal murder of an innocent woman.

While crimes like these happen more often in this part of the world than most, we often look for a solution, or to portion out blame, at the higher levels of influence: media, national government and heads of state.

However, local government actually has the most critical role to play in creating safe communities in which women, men and children are free to live without fear of being attacked, raped or murdered.

Local government is the level of governance closest to the people, at community level. This is where gender-based violence (GBV) happens. South African statistics for rape, sexual violence and other forms of violence show that women and children are particularly vulnerable. It is imperative that we tackle these in a collaborative way at the local government level. Until now we’ve not been doing a very good job.

There is still a great lack of understanding in South Africa about gender and gender equality in communities; myths about GBV still abound and are acted out daily. Linked to this is the stigma attached to GBV, and because of this, victims are afraid to report violence and speak out against it. Cultural norms and beliefs are also still deeply entrenched, keeping women marginalised.

It is therefore more important than ever that local government is involved in breaking down barriers and addressing these problems where they occur.

Gender Links identified a shortcoming in the work of local councils through its extensive work at the local government level. It turns out that many do not consider GBV to be part of their core competencies, although it is women and children who access local government service delivery interventions.

It is women in rural Eastern Cape who stay away from work to take a sick child to the local clinic. If there is an issue with an electricity or water bill in the peri-urban community of Atlantis, Cape Town, it is women who make their way to the local municipal office to query accounts and lodge complaints.

Local government can, and must, address gender-based violence as a key service delivery issue.

This can happen in a number of ways. To begin, municipal councils must put GBV on the agenda. Their work is centred in the very communities and homes where most cases of GBV take place. It is imperative that GBV is tackled at all levels, using different approaches. Fighting GBV should become a key service delivery issue for local government.

In March 2010, Gender Links hosted its first ever Gender Justice and Local Government Summit and Awards in Johannesburg under the banner “365 days of local action to end gender violence”. The summit brought together 260 participants (local government authorities, municipalities, NGOs and representatives from ministries of gender and local government and local government associations and journalists) from 10 countries, presenting 103 good practices – 69 by women and 34 by men – on empowering women and ending GBV at the local level.

Addressing GBV is about these types of integrated, multi-sectoral, year-long initiatives, with cooperation and collaboration between all spheres of government, NGOs, community-based organisations and community members, particularly at local government level.

This type of cooperation brings together different experiences and various kinds of expertise, in turn guaranteeing a holistic approach, hopefully resulting in successful programmes on the ground.

The first Gender Justice and Local Government Summit showed that there are pockets of good practice in the SADC region, including in South Africa, and that it is crucial that these be acknowledged, celebrated and rewarded.

Just as we focus on all the bad things happening in our communities, we should also draw attention to all the good. This is the job of local government and it is a job they should be eager to take up.

Abigail Jacobs-Williams is the Gender Links Gender and Governance Manager. This article is part of a special series on the 16 Days of Activism for the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service that offers fresh views on everyday news. For more information on the 16 Days Campaign go to www.genderlinks.org.za