By Poloko Mokhele
The minister of gender, youth, sports and recreation Likeleli Tampane has expressed concern at the escalation of gender based violence and killings of women and children.
Addressing the national assembly on Thursday, Tampane indicated that police reports show that gender based violence at domestic level has been on a rise since the advent of Covid-19, and that has worried the ministry.
“The abuse meted out against women and children is difficult to detect since it is perpetrated by people that the victims trust; the victims are also threatened into not reporting the violation,” she said.
The minister’s statement comes after the recent killing of a young woman with disability in Qacha’s Nek, who was raped and strangled to death and that of a a member of the National Security Service who allegedly killed his step-son.
“These are just a few examples that have reached my dest; I know that there are more that are still happening. I urge this honourable house to pass the Counter Domestic Violence Bill which will help us protect the people,” she said.
Tampane tabled the 2021 Counter Domestic Violence Bill in parliament in April last year, but it has since been pending. The Bill is meant to provide protection to victims of gender based violence, among others.
