The South African Bishops’ Conference has condemned the “agony” of violence against women and children in the country, as new figures reveal that a woman is killed every eight hours by someone she knows and one in five children has been sexually abused.
Although the nation is shocked by these statistics, “domestic violence is common”, the South Africa’s bishops’ write, in a statement released on 19 May.
“The physical integrity of women and children is not respected,” continues the statement, signed by Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town and President of the South African Bishop’s Conference.
“Each crime against a woman and child causes the delicate fabric of our society to unravel that much more,” read statement.
Criminal prosecution and imprisonment cannot be relied on, say the bishops. Instead they urge the introduction of education programmes for children “in order to curb this violence in the future.”
“Instead of only investing huge sums of money in the criminal justice system and correctional facilities more allowance should be made for parenting programmes and support,” they write.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to all victims of such violence,” conclude the bishops.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Pretoria on 20 May, angered by the rise in violence against women and children in South Africa.
A recent wave of violent attacks on women and girls has made front-page news in South Africa.
According to figures released by the South Africa Medical Research Council (MRC), up to 40 per cent of men assault their partners daily. Likewise, a women is killed by someone she knows every eight hours somewhere in the country and one woman in five has been subjected to at least one act of violent aggression in her life.
South African President Jacob Zuma visited the home of the parents of a three-year-old girl who was raped and killed, last week.
"We as the citizens of this country must say enough is enough," Zuma said following the visit. "This is one of the saddest incidents I've come across. It's a crisis in the country, the manner in which women and children are being killed."
The main opposition Democratic Alliance party, meanwhile, has denounced the increase in violent incidents a "failure to make South Africa safe for all", and has called for a national debate on the problem.
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