By: Zethu Gweva
A march against Gender-based violence to submit anti-GBV Memorandum of women’s demands will take place in East London on June 27th.
One of the Anti-gender-based violence peaceful protest leaders Nonelela Melissa Ndzube said, the memorandum contains a list of women demands they collected from people.
“The march is a stand against gender-Based Violence. It is a march we are embarking as women to be heard,” she said.
According to another leader of the march Gabrielle Bönker, the demands include the decriminalising of sex work, criminalising catcalling, holding schools accountable for inappropriately addressing sexual violence amongst students.
“The list of sex offenders being made public and many other demands,” said Bönker.
She expressed that the march is a result of the unanswered plight that women find themselves in this country.
“Every day we are raped, murdered or subjected to some kind of violence in the hands of South African men,” she said.
In-addition Bönker said the government needs to recognise that this violence against women is systemic and it doesn’t just need reactive solutions to combat it.
“It needs a proactive solution so we can change the current rape culture in our country. It isn’t just ‘violent men’ that perpetuate this culture,” she said.
According to Ndzube, statistics show that every 36 seconds a woman is raped and every 3 hours a woman is killed.
“We plead with all women to come to join us. Together we are stronger and louder. Let us take a stand against this injustice,” she said.
The march will start at the East London Museum to the City Hall on 27 June at 11 am.