President Ramaphosa urged to prioritize National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act
Call to Action Civil Society Collective (CtA), a coalition of over 90 organizations, recently hosted a press conference under the banner #NotFitForPurpose, urgently appealing President Ramaphosa to swiftly stop the implementation of the National Council on GBVF Act and prioritize amending the Act to enable establishment of a council that is fit for purpose.
Kayan Leung, a public interest lawyer at Lawyers for Human rights, emphasized, “The NSP had proposed that the council would have a political priority at the highest level of the president, with the president playing a central role as a champion of the National Council to elevate its authority and ensure that there is effective oversight and implementation”.
CtA’s main goal is to unite civil society in holding the state accountable for the full implementation of the NSPGBVF, ensuring it is properly funded and resourced. This includes monitoring state activities, providing feedback on policies, organizing protests, and advocating for a participatory review process and amendments to the National Council on GBVF Act to align with the 2018 declaration.
While CtA acknowledges the importance of the National Council on GBVF Act to improve leadership, coordination, and accountability in the national response to GBVF, it also recognizes that the Act, in its current form, falls short of addressing the critical challenges it was meant to tackle.
CtA has highlighted the urgent need to overcome barriers hindering the effective implementation of the NSPGBVF. This can be achieved by bringing together key stakeholders and experts, creating a comprehensive funding framework, strengthening coordination and accountability. Working respectfully with all sectors and empowering civil society are essential steps toward overcoming these obstacles.
“We want to build a broad-based coalition so that everyone that cares about Gender-Based Violence and Femicide gets behind this movement. We are talking to different stakeholders because this issue is too big to be left to one movement or formation and that is why we are here today to ask you to join the movement and also to call this out as #NotFitForPurpose.” stated Sibongile Ndashe, executive director of ISLA.
The private-sector-led fund, introduced by the president in the previous administration, was intended as a temporary measure to facilitate immediate donor contributions while awaiting formal legislation. However, the private sector has no legal obligation to contribute, and there are no accountability mechanisms to ensure consistent and equitable funding.
While the NSPGBVF advocates for a whole-of-society approach that includes private sector involvement, government, civil society and development partners, the current Act lacks provisions for ensuring accountability across sectors and ensuring the necessary, sustained funding.
In response, CtA proposes a series of convenings to foster critical engagement with these issues. The outcomes of these convenings will inform a coordinated advocacy plan aimed at the new administration, promoting enhanced knowledge sharing, stronger partnerships, and the development of a sustainable funding model for the NSPGBVF, empowered institutions to implement and ensure there is adequate accountability.