Fighting abuse must be a continuous effort
The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children kicked off recently and more activists are seen speaking out against these cruel acts.
MBOMBELA – The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children kicked off recently and more activists are seen speaking out against these cruel acts.
But just how relevant are the few days dedicated to focus on this issue? It should be noted that the perpetrators are not always men, violence can be committed by anyone in any way.
A good example would be the viral video that broke recently of a nanny abusing a child in Kampala, Uganda. The nanny was seen bashing and stamping on the helpless child. Funny enough, this happened roughly a month before the campaign started.
One would say that this is an indication that we need the 16 days increased by at least 22, for us to say that indeed we are fighting against abuse of children and women.
One can also refer to the seemingly never-ending cases of rape in our province. The recent ones being of an 80-year-old man raping a three-year-old in Matsulu, and a 61-year-old man raping his 16-year-old grandchild in Block A.
Perhaps the Department of Social Development should teach the communities about what to do and where to go should they encounter any sort of abuse. During the launch of Social Development Month in October, it was highlighted that the focus was to build an inclusive and responsive social protection system for all.
In her speech, MEC Ms Nomsa Mtshweni made it clear that her department would not wait for the flagged 16 days of activism to fight against abuse in women and children.
“The department has initiated a radio drama to inform, persuade, and remind the public to take full advantage of our services, in a real-life context. We will use a radio drama about the life of a certain Dudu, to show how social development services can transform family conditions and make them stable and sustainable.
These are aimed at supporting families and enable them to overcome life challenges to create a better future,” said Mtshweni. It is such programs that will have victims of abuse not wait for certain days of the year to get help and the courage to speak out on their ordeals.
As much as the whole country is now a buzz on the awareness, it should be noted that everyone should try and do their bid on an everyday basis, not just in November and December.
