Despite the rain, the Second Annual Adams Night Camp took place in Meadowlands Zone 9 at the Fiat Sports Ground from November 24 – 26 and on November 26 the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Adv. Michael Masutha addressed the Adams Night Champions against Gender-Based Violence as part of the Department’s activities for the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Abuse campaign.
The event organised by Khuluma Ndoda with support from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development saw different speakers educating young boys and girls about gender-based violence.
Advocate Praise Kambula said that there is a piece of legislation called Domestic Violence act, which is the piece of legislation that is led by the Department of Justice and Correctional Service.
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“The act prevents women from being abused but now we can see that women are not only abused but if they don’t come out in the cycle of violence they die in the cycle of violence.
“We have partnered with men organisation because we know that we cannot separate the issue of domestic violence from a family unit.
“It starts in the family, in how we teach our boys the roles and classifications that we have at our home.”
According to Adv. Kambula parents should stop teaching boys that they are superior to girls because they grow up with that mentality and when they marry they exercise the same thing.
“Patriarchy is the reason women die in their intimate relationships. If we do not change the mentality of men, domestic violence will continue,” she said.
The founder of Adams Night Camp Patrick Shai touched on the cases of femicide and hate crimes attacks on lesbians this year.
“Because of the kind of people that we produced in the Soweto, there is no way gender-based violence can defeat us? How can we not be able to protect our women we are made of champions?
“There is nothing wrong with men. There are a lot of things that are wrong with men who do not think because they draw reference to culture, religion and wealth to justify their unjust acts,” he said.
According to Shai, the impacts of gender-based violence leave many children homeless and they seek solace to older guys.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Adv. Masutha addressed the Adams Night champions about rape, crime and gender roles to touch on the issue of gender-based violence.
“The department passed a law that states that every victim of sexual violence must have the right to free HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment in 72hours. You will be traumatised and confused but don’t let that 72hours pass.”
According Adv. Masutha crime does not pay is gets you nowhere and as the criminal justice, they are looking for weaklings.
“You can as an individual become the source of light. You can bring change for the better in other people’s lives. We want to have ex-prisoners who have seen the light and share that light in the community,” he said.
Adv. Masutha said that since its 16 Days of Activism people should ask themselves, what difference they are hoping to make in order to make a difference in their community when it comes to ending the scourge of women and children.
“Gender roles should be ended because parents are doing an injustice to their sons, depriving them the opportunity to learn life skills. Boys should not celebrate being deprived that skill. If women didn’t exist we as men wouldn’t exist as well. Each one of us is going to be a candle that’s going to light up other candles,” he said.
The Adam’s Night Camp is a concept that explores various ways of improving the relationship between men and young boys with the aim of eliminating socio-cultural beliefs and practices that lead to gender-based violence.
The camp also seeks to equip men and boys with the fundamental tenants of a democratised society; to enable them to see women and children as human beings entitled to safety and the right to enjoying the freedom enshrined in our Constitution.
