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Amnesty International says after 28 years of freedom, not everyone in South Africa is safe, especially women and girls who continue to face horrendous incidents of violence.
In a statement on Freedom Day, Amnesty International said despite the adoption by the government of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in 2019, cases of GBVF continue to soar.
“The plan is not being adequately implemented, with the government failing to reach or report on many of the indicators and targets set out in the first year of its implementation,” said Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed.
She said quarterly crime statistics released in February showed that 11 315 people were raped between October and December 2021, and these were only cases of rape that were reported to the police.
“The state does not seem to be taking the second pandemic of GBVF seriously, despite making several commitments to help fight the scourge,” Mohamed said.
According to Amnesty International’s Annual Report, in 2021, there were 117 cases of femicide in the first half of the year alone. There were 14,188 reported cases of sexual offences between October and December 2021.
“It is difficult to celebrate Freedom Day when so many people in South Africa are not safe and there is little regard for the right to life,” Mohamed said.
