People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) hosts programmes to help women and communities.
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As part of the #EndDomesticSilence movement, it recently launched a Men’s Dialogue ekasi.
POWA is a feminist, women’s rights organisation that helps survivors of GBV through advocacy, skill development, counselling, refuge and legal services.
It also engages in lobbying, utilising a feminist and intersectional approach to ensure the realisation of women’s rights and improve women’s quality of life.
Their work is based on the premise that change is only effective when women’s lives are directly benefited by interventions, according to Koketjo Mantati, the initiative’s facilitator.
They also believe that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to change, and are continually looking for fresh and innovative ways to create the change they desire in their programming.
“The Men’s Dialogue’s goal and purpose are to engage men and boys in our community on issues of GBV and urge them to speak up if they are having problems.
“POWA states that because patriarchal cultural norms are the primary impediment to women’s empowerment, projects must focus on changing attitudes among men and boys to achieve long-term results for women and girls. The goal of this dialogue is to educate and empower men and boys on a variety of societal challenges that they face.
“This Men’s Dialogue is part of the Unilever tea brand Joko’s #EndDomesticSilence programme, which is being run in collaboration with POWA. The project, which was launched in 2019, aims to break the silence surrounding domestic violence through speaking out, reporting, awareness and education.
“POWA believes that dialogues and programmes that challenge concepts of patriarchy and traditional masculinity can have beneficial health and educational outcomes for men.
“They can also reduce violence against women and lessen instances of violence between men. The involvement of men and boys in ending patriarchal norms, gender inequality and GBV is extremely important.
“POWA would like to engage with men and boys through this dialogue to challenge and change the social norms and attitudes that cause and perpetuate violence,” said Mantati.
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