Stand Up Against Economic and Sexual Violence on Informal Traders
On the 5-6 of May, the Ecumenical Service for Socioeconomic Transformation (ESSET) held a consultation that brought together representatives of both local and cross border informal traders, Councils and representatives of Churches in the SADC region and civil society organisations concerned about injustices perpetrated against informal traders. The aim of the consultation was to explore joint campaigns by informal traders that would bring an end to all forms of economic and sexual violence against them. The consultation ended with the establishment of a SADC Solidarity Network of Informal Traders. One of the goals of this network is to initiate and promote solidarity campaigns that are aimed at fighting injustices perpetrated against informal traders
As we came to the end of the consultation, we were reminded that struggles of informal traders are real. They affect real people who live in this real world that has become the real enemy of God. It is a world where women and girl children cannot live in freedom, as theirs is a world of abuse, rape and marginalisation. The news of the rape of a young girl, a daughter of one of the women traders who could not make it to the consultation came as a shock to all of us. This devastating news came even as we spent the two days deliberating on how we can support informal traders to put an end to all forms of violence against them, particularly sexual and economic violence. Such forms of violence come in various ways. Informal traders spend most of their time at work on the streets or across the borders, constantly dealing with harassment by government officials. These officials steal from them the little that they have through unlawful confiscation of their goods. These unscrupulous officials also demand bribes from poor people who are trying to make a clean living for their families. Lack of recognition of the informal trade sector by most of the SADC countries has negative consequences for the countless numbers of people who depend on informal trade for their livelihood. This lack of recognition is seen in the absence of policies that support informal trade in most countries and the contradictory nature of the policies where they exist. Even regional integration that is supposed to play a major role in addressing poverty and inequalities excludes informal traders.
Women traders also face humiliation through sexual violence, including demand for sex or to be touched in return for safe passage through the borders or to escape stock confiscation. Sexual violence is a vicious act inflicted upon its victims bringing untold suffering and pain. No child or woman in this world should ever have to go through rape or any other form of sexual violence.
The SADC Solidarity Network is calling upon all of us and especially churches to rekindle their commitment to justice, by standing in solidarity with informal traders in their war against sexual and economic violence. If the sexual violence against informal traders is not enough to stir sufficient anger against social and economic injustices perpetrated against the poor, would we allow ourselves to be agitated enough by the rape of the defenceless little daughter of one of the informal traders? We are also calling on all our governments in the SADC region to stop ignoring this sector and begin to see it for what it is – an alternative that has for years sustained many poor families in the region.
Issued by the SADC Solidarity Network of Informal Traders
Tel: 0118331190 Email: info@esset.org.za
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