Various organisations handed over a memorandum to government on Saturday, wanting the State to amend legislation to curb violence against women and children.
Spearheaded by non-governmental organisation, LifeLine, a march was held through the streets of Cape Town’s CBD to highlight 16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Women and Children.
LifeLine executive director Sinikiwe Biyela said one of the demands on the memorandum sought to prompt doctors and medical staff to report cases of statutory rape.
“We have a number of cases where young girls between the ages of ten to fourteen have delivered babies in hospital, and the fathers of those babies are very old – sometimes they are in their thirties. That is definitely statutory rape, but those cases go unreported.”
Biyela said their other demands include each province having its own DNA lab, children’s cases being prioritised, the fast-tracking of DNA results, and stricter bail conditions for perpetrators.
