The following was delivered in Parliament today by DA Shadow Minister of Communications, Phumzile Van Damme MP, during the Debate on National Women’s Day: Women united in moving South Africa forward.
Let me begin my speech by honouring the women of 1956, who on 9 August, despite their different political affiliations, race, religion or cultural beliefs came together to march against pass laws.
We say to those women, and especially uMama Dora Tamana who at the march said:
We, women, will never carry these passes. This is something that touches my heart. I appeal to you young Africans to come forward and fight. These passes make the road even narrower for us. We have seen unemployment, lack of accommodation and families broken because of passes. We have seen it with our men. Who will look after our children when we go to jail for a small technical offence — not having a pass
We say to the late Mama Dora, sikuvile Mama.
And continue the struggle for women’s emancipation, we shall.
We stand on your shoulders and of those of the women who marched in 1956 and continue to fight against the struggles the women of today face.
It was an honour on the 1st of August to join a march of women and gender non-conforming people from all over South Africa in protest against gender-based violence.
I was saddened to hear that the ANC refused to join this march unless it was leading it.
Honourable Speaker,
Gender-based violence knows no political affiliation.
Gender-based violence knows no race.
Gender-based violence knows no class, religion or culture.
Gender-based violence affects us all. And does so daily.
It is for that for that reason I find the thought of a “Women’s Month” ridiculous.
It is a month of platitudes, empty promises, clichés, recycled speeches and annoying expressions of faux-horror, such as “a woman has been abused DURING WOMEN’S MONTH”, as if it is okay during other months.
Women’s issues must be front and centre and ingrained in all government departments and policies.
We demand gender equality.
Mere quotas are not enough.
We demand equal pay for women, and equal access to resources, opportunities and economic participation.
We demand the end of the indignity women who have to suffer in having to engage in carpet interviews for jobs.
We demand that workplaces be friendlier towards working mothers.
We demand that young women who have to skip school because they cannot afford sanitary towels be provided with them.
We demand that the police take reports of domestic violence seriously “go sort it out at home between the two of you;” is not the answer a victim of abuse should have to hear.
We also demand that men be part of the conversation regarding tackling the issues women of today face.
It cannot be women talking to each other, but men, must be there to listen and take action.
I believe it begins with how men are brought up.
I lend from a New York Times article “How to Raise a Feminist Son”
Allow your sons to cry. Boys are often taught that anger is acceptable but that they’re not supposed to show other feelings, like vulnerability. Never tell your son “you are being a girl”, using being female as an insult.
Make sure your son has good role models, both male and female. Talk to them about the achievements of women you know. Encourage them to read, including about women who have excelled in their chosen vocations.
Do not bring up your son in a gender-conforming manner. Children are not born with preferences. Let them be, and play with the toys they choose. For children to reach their full potential, they need to be allowed to follow their interests, gender-conforming or not.
Teach your sons to cook, clean and look after themselves. Do not engrain in their minds that those are the roles that women must take.
Teach your sons to speak up when others are being intolerant, so when they become adults, they do not turn a blind eye to domestic abuse as we often see in many communities today.
Ending patriarchy and ensuring that gender-based violence and rape are eradicated requires that women are taken seriously as contributing members of society.
It requires a whole-of-society approach.
We must come together as a country, bring up our sons correctly, support victims of abuse, and ultimately reach the goal of gender equality.