ALBERTON – As a male citizen of our city I am usually filled with mixed feelings. I am faced with the dilemma that without the 16 days, there would be less awareness on the issue of violence against women and children. Yet I feel very strong that the campaign is little more than an excuse for an 11-month-period of apathy and denial of this unspoken evil in our society.
Violence against Women and Children has become a reality in our community. In this past year we witnesses the senseless killing of a toddler, Teagrin Morris, right here in Ekurhuleni. This singular event highlighted the ongoing daily acts of violence against the most vulnerable members of our community.
As a husband and a father, I find these actions incomprehensible and condemn it in the strongest terms. We have a collective responsibility to expose perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity. In many cases there is knowledge of gender violence – the challenge is moving people to action and closing down the space for would-be perpetrators.
I believe that most people are good and would never play a role in perpetuating gender-based violence. Unfortunately it does happen and in this regard I call on the men in our community to join me in bridging the gap in violence against women and children. Let us act against these perpetrators and speak out during the 16 Days of Activism in 2014.For the next 16 days let’s raise the awareness of the negative impact that violence and abuse have on Woman and Children and let us rid society of all abuse permanently. The Success of this campaign rests on our daily individual and collective actions to safeguard our community against this cycle of abuse. I joined President Jacob Zuma and various other leaders in Ekurhuleni to launch the national 16 Days of Activism 2014 campaign right here in our city.
We pledged to eradicate violence and committed Ekurhuleni to be free from abuse against women and children. I call on all the men of our community to bridge the gap and join me in this pledge against violence. Follow me on Twitter @neildiamond7 for regular updates.
