South Africa should use its relations with Hamas to end abuse of hostages - opinion

• Published date: 14 March 2024
• Author: WENDY KAHN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Her story is just one piece of the evidence collected by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, chair of the Civil Commission on October Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children, and Orit Sulitzeneau, the executive director of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel. They were speaking to our group at the Conference of Presidents during my recent visit to Israel. Cochav is creating an archive of evidence of rape and sexual abuse based on video footage, mostly recorded by Hamas, forensic evidence, and witness testimonies like Aviva's. They both provided input for the recent UN report on sexual violence. Orit also published a harrowing report from the Rape Crisis Centers that was covered in the international media

Sadly, many of the victims cannot report their abuse as they are either no longer alive or still held hostage.

Yet even with this unequivocal evidence and following the report by United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, that she and her experts found "clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, occurred against some women and children during their time in captivity," there is still global silence on the horror that happened and is still happening to hostages in Gaza.

My own government, despite its virulent stance against gender-based violence, has chosen not to condemn or try to stop the heinous rapes and sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas both on October 7 and, now, to the hostages they are holding.

Creating awareness for hostages' plight in South Africa

I returned to South Africa with a determination to create awareness of the horrifying plight of our hostages, who are being held as pawns by a terror organization that revealed its level of brutality and cruelty on October 7 and now has a track record of sexual violence. The images that Hamas released of young women hostages show they have been beaten and abused. Some of them, young women who had gone to enjoy a music concert at Nova, are barely recognizable.

In the lead-up to International Women's Day, we arranged a march to the constitutional court in Johannesburg, the apex court in whose hands rests the authority to uphold our constitutional values, human rights, and women's rights, which are some of the key tenants of its mandate. We appealed to our country, which at one time held a global reputation for standing up for the basic rights of those who were...