Women observe a moment of silence for victims of gender-based violence.

KwaThema – Women and local pastors gathered in the Christian Community Church to pray against gender-based violence on Thursday.

The women’s caucus says it’s time that women stand up in solidarity to fight against the violence and abuse that they face every day in the community.

They emphasised that fighting against women and children abuse should not only happen during the month of August.

However, this should be a continuous fight until there is a visible change in society.

ALSO READ:

Gender equality is for all genders, not one above the other

Wilson Busakwe Ekurhuleni Ward 77 councillor says the time has come for people to stop folding their arms when things are falling apart.

He also emphasised that uniting to fight against something “does not mean people must break the law or take the law into their own hands”.

He said this in reference to the current crisis of communities looting from foreign-owned spaza shops.

Nozipho Mabuza from Ekurhuleni Ward 54 said depending on the available budget, they anticipate to host this event quarterly not only in KwaThema but across different regions of Ekurhuleni.

ALSO READ:

SAPS pray for safety of women

They also observed a moment of silence for all those who died from gender-based violence and any other form of abuse in the region.

Programme director Connie Mashego said the rate at which violence is growing has become unbearable. She added that when women rise up and unite, change is bound to be visible. Society cannot continue as if it is business as usual when the violence is accelerating.