Gender Commission to monitor GBV during lockdown
The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) says it has been given the green light to continue its work during the 21-day national lockdown.
Chairperson Tamara Mathebula says the commission still has the responsibility to ensure the safety of women and children.
There have been growing concerns by advocacy groups about the risk faced by women and children during the lockdown, particularly those confined to their homes with their abusers.
Mathebula says they will be working closely with the police and the Department of Social Development.
“Key among the things that we will be following up is the submission and handling of complaints and those complaints will be referenced to the urgent cases that relate to gender-based violence and any sexual assaults, any domestic violence acts, any rapes, any femicide killings of women, young girls and children. Those are some the cases we will be following up at this time.
“We will make sure that all gender-based violence victims and survivors are taken into consideration and their matter are looked into serious at this time,” Mathebula adds.
South Africa has been battling high rates of gender-based violence for years.
The crisis peaked last year after the high profile deaths of a number of women, almost bringing the country to a standstill.
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