‘Women’s economic empowerment key to tackling GBV’

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities says women’s economic empowerment is critical to tackling gender-based violence and advancing their independence.

This came out at a Distinction Dialogue of the National Press Club, in Midrand.

The dialogue commemorates 70 years since the historic 1956 Women’s March, under the theme “Empowered women, empower the nations.” It brings together government, the media, civil society, business, academia and other stakeholders to reflect on how far South Africa has progressed since the Women’s March and the challenges that remain.

Department spokesperson, Cassius Selala, says economic empowerment can help women become less vulnerable to abuse.

“We are calling for the economic empowerment of women, as the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence calls for a 40% proportional procurement allocation for women.

That calls for municipalities, provinces, as well as the national government, because once we do that, we remove women from the hands of gender-based violence perpetrators.

Everyday, every hour, a story of a woman who is raped, abused or killed finds itself in the newspapers, if not in the media.

This engagement with members of the media is one part of those initiatives seeking to address issues affecting women, but also calling on the media to play their part in terms of their reporting,” says Selala.