Year in and year out we mark 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
While this campaign does create awareness and places the spotlight on the high levels of violence and abuse, it needs to be sustained throughout the year.
#DontLookAway - the initiative by the Independent Media Group - drives an important message home. We need to break our silence and stand up against the lawlessness.
Levels of violence are unacceptably high in South Africa.
Over 16 000 rapes were reported over a 12-month period, according to the official statistics of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Sexual offence cases run into their thousands. Femicide is a growing problem. I interviewed a gang rape survivor on my new show, Crime Watch, on eNCA last Wednesday.
Phindile Nkrumah spoke of her harrowing ordeal at the hands of a gang of five in Tembisa outside Johannesburg some eight years ago.
The men were convicted but have since been freed. They are roaming the streets. So much for justice!
Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane and I were equally shocked to hear this and Phindile also described the many health problems she is still experiencing.
Life behind bars means 25 years in our country. After parole, offenders are released much earlier.
I agree with Nkosi-Malobane: our laws need to be reviewed and murderers and rapists should be given 300 years in jail. This means they should not be released for the rest of their natural lives. This will be a deterrent.
The current jail terms are ineffective. In the absence of capital punishment, life should mean life behind bars.
Phindile is only one of many survivors the system has let down. A snap survey showed that over 80% of people said the system was failing them.
Victims often get poor service from the police.
The SAPS is not doing enough to educate the cops behind the police station counters. We need 365 days of activism and we must all roll up our sleeves.
Government needs sustainable programmes. Many NGOs are doing sterling work and we need to support them. We need to report cases and we must not protect perpetrators. Use the Namola/Dial Direct Safety app which is available free to #GetHelpFast in an emergency.
Communities need to mobilise and create awareness. Religious leaders need to raise their voices more and educate the masses. Enough is enough and we must stop the violence.
It’s good to see many activists protesting and raising their voices. The time has come for authorities to act and to act with urgency.
Wife murderer Omar Sabadia is set to be released from prison next year. He has served 22 years for killing his wife Zaheeda north of Pretoria. His accomplice, a patient of the then psychiatrist, is also expected to be released on parole later next year.
The victim’s family including Sabadia’s three children are opposed to him being set free. Despite the objections, the parole board decided otherwise.
When Judge Eddie Stafford sentenced Sabadia he said he should only be considered for parole at the age of 78. He is in his 60s.
While I agree that people get rehabilitated and need to be given a second chance in life, the question is whether or not our criminal justice system is serving us well? I think not.
Too many women and children are being murdered and drastic times need drastic action. And remember, do the right thing: #DontLookAway
Abramjee is an anti-crime activist and vice-president of Crime Stoppers International (CSI). He also presents Crime Watch on eNCA. Twitter: @abramjee