Father A Nation calls on father figures to be more present
Fan believes that if boys have a good example of a happy and loving family, they will not get involved in gender-based violence when they're older.
LIMPOPO – Father A Nation (Fan), an activist group in Limpopo has highlighted the need for fathers to play active roles in the lives of their sons, following the recent crime statistics related to sexual and domestic violence cases from the SAPS.
The statistical report revealed that Limpopo recorded a total of 1 134 sexual offences with rape, sexual assault and attempted sexual offences increasing from the 2021/22 second quarter stats.
Of these, 963 were rape cases, which is an increase of 15.5% from the previous year.
Fan provincial mentor Rathabeng Mamabolo says their recent workshop of 90 young men between the ages of 18-34, found that they lacked role models within their proximity to whom they can express their experiences without fear of judgment, as households are increasingly headed by women and male figures are absent.
The non-profit organisation joins the local, district and provincial government institutions and other stakeholders in the observation of 16 Days of Activism period from November 25 to December 10 under the theme: Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment to build Women’s Resilience against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide: Connect, Collaborate, Contract!
“Of the entire group of young men, only one responded that his own father was his primary role model,” Mamabolo said.
According to the group, fathers who are present in their sons’ lives educate them best about the ways to communicate with and deal with compromising circumstances they may find themselves in.
On November 24 during a sitting at the Limpopo Legislature, the DA delivered a motion without notice reinforcing that poor leadership within the SAPS is the cause of the rampant crime in the province.
The party critisised the provincial police commissioner saying she was not up to the task to ensure the safety or property of citizens.
Meanwhile, economic crimes increased sharply compared to the same period in 2020:
• Robbery at homes increased by 51.2%
• Stock theft increased by 30.7%
• Shoplifting increased by 12.2%
