The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) on Monday called for decisive action to end violence against women and children.

“Women and children remain the most vulnerable and defenceless members of society. We keep reading about more and more heart-rending stories of girls and women being assaulted‚ abducted‚ kidnapped‚ raped and murdered‚” said federation general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.

Vavi coupled his condemnation of violence against women and children to the “worsening socio-economic crisis” in the country that resulted in so many people losing their dignity.

“Young women are being targeted by the phenomenon of the ‘blessers’ as well as ‘thugs’ who exploit their vulnerability by selling them as sex slaves‚” said Vavi.

The federation plans to add its voice to campaigns against violence. “Marches and demonstrations to protest this are important‚” said Vavi.

“We will succeed the day we remove all the tenets of colonial‚ apartheid and capitalist exploitation which have destroyed any moral value-based system of a normal society‚” he said.

The new federation was conceived over two years ago in the wake of the expulsion of National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa from the trade union federation Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).