Tshireletso urges MPs to help end GBV
Lerato Maleke | Thursday December 18, 2014 12:51
She said this in a statement she issued last week to mark the end of 16 days of activism against GBV.
Tshireletso said that child marriage remains widespread and that in most of the developing world, 34 percent of girls are married at 18-years-old, with one in seven girls being married before they are 15-years-old.
The minister said that the abduction of hundreds of school girls in Nigeria this year, rape, forced marriage and sexual enslavement of girls all over the world has put a spotlight on violence against women and children, that people living with disability have not been spared.
Tshireletso urged all political leaders to take responsibility and power to protect the girl child, and the boy child since the latter is also exposed to gender based violence.
“Solutions exist - whether it is by changing or introducing minimum age for marriage, keeping girls in school to delay marriage, or making sure existing laws are implemented effectively,” she stated.
The minister also implored Members of Parliament to make a difference to the lives of hundreds of girls, boys as well as people living with disabilities by developing policies that provide a safe and secure nation free from GBV.
She also challenged MPs to come up with comprehensive and multi-sectoral strategic plans to combat GBV, as well as amend the existing Domestic Violence Act to address marital rape.
She urged MPs to raise awareness about GBV as a human rights issue at all levels, adding that as politicians and leaders, they should unite and work hard to eliminate gender based violence, “from peace in the home, to peace in the world: let’s end violence against women and children with disabilities”, she said.