‘Teach them and they will know better’
"Our country is increasingly becoming an unsafe place for women," says Mukonazwothe Netshitavhadulu, who recently started a campaign called Break The Silence.
LIMPOPO – The 16-year-old from Tshidzini said the campaign aims to fight gender-based violence and help women to have the confidence to break the silence on abuse.
“I decided to start the campaign when I witnessed that women in the country lose their lives at an alarming rate due to gender-based violence. If we stand together as women, we can fight the scourge of gender-based violence,” Netshitavhadulu said.
According to the Crime Against Women in South Africa Report by Statistics SA, femicide in South Africa is five times higher than the global average.
She told CV that the campaign aims to educate young boys to treat women with respect.
“If we teach them how to respect women from an early age, they will grow up with the knowledge and never try to hurt a woman. The campaign aims to offer defence classes for women so that they can try to protect themselves, so that they should not go down without a fight. We want women to have confidence and help those who are being abused to find justice and help,” she said.
Netshitavhadulu said that we should unite and fight against gender-based violence. “Why should we die everyday? We do most of the things for men, but then they kill and abuse us. This campaign is for everyone. If you are being abused in any way, do not keep quiet, break the silence,” she said.
For more information about this campaign, phone 066 584 5354.
