Men should be at the forefront of the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, because it is them who violate women, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

During his address at the Association of Women Judges Conference (IAWJ) in Cape Town on Wednesday, April 9, Ramaphosa emphasised that ending gender-based violence should not be the responsibility of women alone.

He argued that it should also involve men.

“Men should be in the forefront of the struggle because it is us as men who violate women,” Ramaphosa said.

“So, in many ways, we must lead the struggle against gender-based violence.”

Even though there’s been decrease in various serious crimes, including a 9.8% reduction in murders, a 3.3% drop in rape incidents, and a 3.2% decline in attempted sexual offences, as revealed in the Third Quarter Crime Statistics for 2023/2024, women and children still continue to fall victims of GBV in the country.

Ramaphosa said this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which encourages signatories to domesticate its principles, commitments, and goals, and translate them into concrete national actions.

He said South Africa, like many of the countries represented in the IAWJ, is a signatory to the declaration.

“The impact of this landmark document has been profound and far-reaching in shaping our country’s policies and practices around gender equality,” he said.

“We understood that gender-based violence affects women and girls, and that the impacts of GBV are profound, including physical injury, long-term mental health problems, and even death.”

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