ANC Women’s League Demands Tougher Sentences and Improved Support for Victims of Gender-Based Violence

The African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) has called for a comprehensive review of the parole system for sex offenders and to highlight stricter measures to combat gender-based violence.

On Friday, as part of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, the union marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Political leaders and gender-based violence activists attended the march. During the event, they handed over a memorandum to President Cyril Ramaphosa outlining their demands.

Key demands include harsher penalties for rapists and a minimum sentence of life imprisonment. This comes after the president announced on National Women’s Day 2023 that bail will no longer be granted to people accused of rape. This policy began to be implemented from August of the same year.

The march started in Burgers Park, where ANCWL highlighted the dire state of support services for victims. The closure of a shelter for women and children in the park highlighted a broader issue of declining funding for non-profit organizations (NPOs). Over the last decade, budget cuts at Gauteng’s Department of Social Development have reduced funding for housing and similar services from 2,500 allocations to 1,600.

ANCWL emphasizes the importance of both preventive measures and support for survivors in tackling gender-based violence, calling on the government to increase funding for NPOs that provide essential services to vulnerable women and children.