To mark the end of Women’s Month, the call for action against gender-based violence took centre stage at a national prayer walk.
The SA Council of Churches called for a full and responsible implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBV. More safety spaces are also required for women, along with affordable mental health services for survivors.
Lulama Ntuta of SA Council of Churches, stated that gender-based violence needs an action-orientated plan and called for accountability.
“We want to see our churches safe, but also women being in safe spaces where the government is able to assist in making sure that there are enough of those safe spaces for women. We want to see mental health services being affordable in our country. Gender-based violence has a relapse effect and women suffer mentally as well, and mental health services are not really affordable for our people. And so, these are the things that we want to see happen and these are tangible things. What we also want and what we are also seeing in this charter, is that we will have to have an annual review of where we are,” said Lulama Ntuta.
