Men in heels against abuse
“We have also identified that there is a scourge of abuse in the community and many don’t know which doors to knock on.”
Duduza – Men and women in the area participated in a march on Saturday aimed at raising awareness of men’s health issues while helping men to empathise with victims of abuse by inviting them to step into women’s shoes – literally.
The march was organised by Women in Crisis in collaboration with other organisations in the area partly to create awareness around prostate cancer.
Motivational speakers, experts and doctors shared their views on how to detect the disease and the importance of regular medical check-ups.
Event organiser Queen Mlangeni says the month of November is well known as ‘Movember’, which mainly focuses on prostate cancer awareness.
“We also wanted to address the issues of abuse in the community in relation to the recent killings and abuse of women,” Queen says.
“We wanted to give men an opportunity to voice their grievances so we could understand where they are coming from to end up abusing women.”
Queen says the men were invited to ‘change roles’ with women by stepping into their shoes – high heels and all.
“This allowed men to step into women’s shoes and experience the joys and sorrows of being a woman.
“In this way the men in our lives will understand some of the challenges we face in our daily lives, but we continue to brave the storm no matter what.”
Queen says they are planning to host the event monthly because they have identified a need for information in the area.
“We have also identified that there is a scourge of abuse in the community and many don’t know which doors to knock on.
“We cannot continue to turn a blind eye while we read and hear about women being killed,” she says.
“We always attend workshops where women voice their problems, but hardly ever have for men.
“We wanted to give them a platform to share their problems and come up with solutions on how to address them.”
