The United Nations Population Fund [UNFPA] is encouraging a longer term strategy on non-violence against women and children.
This was said at a Film Festival at Olive Tree Theatre, Wynberg, when commemorating the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender and Child Violence. The campaign is an international event to raise awareness about this scourge of violence perpetrated by males, including spouses and sometime boys, on females in the home, community and workplace.
The impact of the campaign is said to be limited when compared to the effects of the violence they experience daily. The festival featured amateur videos and documentaries on the awareness and enabled dialogues on strategies to end the violence. In the process, the producers also gained filming skills from professionals.
Fund officials, Sakhumzi Ntayiya and Janneke Bienert said the level of violence on women and children pointed to socialisation in the home and community and the lack of safe spaces as main contributors to the scourge. They motivated for change through a social change process and not a once-off annual event.
Ntayiya said social norms were developed in children from a young age which encouraged boys to feel superior and with power over girls. “It makes them believe they have more freedom, encourages an imbalance in labour distribution, disrespect for girls and this gets entrenched and impacts on their behaviour and relationships with females in adulthood.” He added that change required longer term interventions of partnerships with them [boys] and other agencies focusing on rights awareness, attitudinal change and integration of gender equality in their daily activities and practices. He said with its extremely dense population, Alex residents’ frustrations from high unemployment led to a high social crime rate mostly against women and children. “A long-term programmatic approach would amplify and integrate behaviour change in the children and adult males’ outlook to women in their daily relationships.”
Bienert said change would be easier to achieve with children as their attitudes and behaviour were still not too entrenched. This could make them better champions for their peers in ending the violence. She added that a longer term programme will include effective spaces for the abused to seek redress without fear. This she said in reference to using police stations, shelters and churches to provide friendly, comprehensive and sustainable services and also, schools where the curriculum would be adjusted accordingly.
Details: UNFPA; 012 354 8401.
