Recent gender-based violence

The Chamber is concerned at the growing number of brutal murders of women and children and what appears to be a complete disrespect for the law.

The police believe that more than 20 women were killed in August, many of them in Cape Town. The new month has brought more deaths and the only thing the victims appear to have in common is that they were vulnerable women.

We offer our condolences to all those affected by these tragic events.

Women and children are the most vulnerable members of our society and are deserving of protection, so it is difficult to understand why they are now being singled out for the most violent treatment.

It would easy to blame the killings on a few sick men but we must dig deeper for we may be looking at the symptoms of a larger problem such as the growing lawlessness in society and a breakdown in the values on which our society is built.

We'd like to compliment the police on their quick work in following up the recent Cape Town cases and making arrests but there are too many cases where they've been less successful.

The women of Cape Town have demonstrated their concern and called for action in public protests today. We would like to assure them of our support. We stand with them in the fight against gender-based violence.