16 Days of Activism kicks off in Soweto, Protea South
The 16 Days of Activism campaign will end on December 10.
The Soweto Child Protection Forum held a door to door campaign in Protea South last Tuesday as part of the 16 Days of Activism national campaign which started on November 25. The forum members equipped the residents with important information about where to go when they experience any form of abuse.
The main message the forum aimed to get out to the residents is that abuse cuts across the board and both men and women are alike can be perpetrators.
The door to door campaign was prompted by the incessant cases of sexual assault and physical abuse that occur in the area according to Mashudu Amos Nemusunda from Teddy Bear Clinic based at Protea Magistrates Court and chairperson of the Soweto Child Protection Forum.
It was recently discovered that 12 girls had been raped by a man who was a resident in the community.
“During our visit today we realised that there is a child who is seven years old who is responsible for three other children because the parents are not around. Those children are vulnerable and these are some of the challenges we face in the community of Protea South,” elaborated Nemusunda.
That is just one of the challenges the forum members came across during their awareness campaign. They reported witnessing an act of physical abuse and more cases of child neglect, which according to Keep A Girl Child In School Happy and Motivated’s (Kagcisham) founder and clinical psychologist Amelia Zulu is a norm in the community.
“We find the highest statistics of crime in the Protea area here in Protea South, we have already removed six children from their homes in less than three months. The demand here for information about these things is very high,” said Zulu.
The United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs released the results of a study which found that 58% of women who were killed worldwide last year were murdered by intimate partners or family members.
This statistic makes the household one of the most dangerous places for women. The 16 days of Activism campaign is part of the #365DaysofActivism and #CountMeIn campaigns, which are aimed at encouraging citizens, especially men to actively get involved in curbing the scourge of abuse against women and children.
The 16 Days of Activism campaign will end on December 10 and will see discussions around the causes and possible solutions to abuse against women and children take place.
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