#MiniMeToo: Let’s all stand against child abuse
ILLOVO – A group of men and women gathered to spark a movement in expression of their weariness of sexual abuse.
Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) certainly showed they intended to let their actions speak louder with their #MiniMeToo campaign.
They used it as a means of sending a two-way message of which one is for children, to assure them they have a right to speak out, right to justice and support to recover from abuse. The second part is directed at adults who should be the key-protectors of the children and should speak against the child abusers.
This group of people who ignited what they saw not as a campaign but as a movement, shared their sensitive stories of what they went through and also ploughed a path of moving forward from past painful experiences.
Survivor and tennis player, Olivia Jasriel shared her story about her former sexually abusive tennis coach who was now behind bars.
“I changed my name and nobody should have to go and change their entire identity because of what the perpetrator did.”
Founder of Open Disclosure Foundation Andile Gaelesiwe also shared the two incidents that happened to her where she was sexually abused by her biological father as well as the taxi driver who took her to boarding school.
Founder of South African Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse, Rees Mann also shared his story and illustrated how it was not only females who became victims.
“There should be no discrimination in sexual abuse whatsoever, we need to tell our girl-child, and our boy-child exactly the same things, the same warnings that abusers are not men wearing trench-coats in parks. Our abusers are in our churches, our schools and our neighbourhoods, probably even in our families.”
He said that because men were brought up in the hyper-masculinity environment where boys don’t cry, males then learn not to have empathy and in turn, both men and women bear the brunt thereof.
WMACA strategist Johann van den Heever stated that when he and the organisation’s founder and director Miranda Jordan-Friedmann were pleading with the media to use their platforms to make the public see how big the issue really was.
Karen Landi, managing director of Community Hours organisation said that they would begin their roll-out campaign in schools such as Kingsmead College. She said the organisation was also planning a march prior to the 16 Days of Activism.
Actress Enhle Mbali Maphumulo and singer LeAnne Dlamini expressed that they were completely on board with the movement and encouraged everyone else to do the same. Maphumulo stated, “We need to teach our children to be children and we need to teach our adults to deal with their issues.”
WMACA wants to see this campaign spark a global movement. Youth and adults who would like to pledge their support for survivors and disseminate the campaign against abuse on social media are encouraged to use the #MiniMeToo.
By using #MiniMeToo you are saying:
- I stand up for a child being sexually abused
- When I am older I don’t want to be a #MeToo
- Don’t use your adult power to abuse me
- I want you as adults to protect me
- Don’t protect adults who sexually abuse children
- Don’t protect other adults who sexually abuse me
- I have the right to be safe.
For more details on the campaign and joining, visit the WMACA website.
Share your comments on the campaign with us on our Facebook page.
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/rosebank-killarney-gazette/214575/africa-check-levels-child-sexual-abuse-sa-even-higher-activist-claimed/
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