Violence Against Women
Source: The Citizen
“They belong to a generation of damaged men,” said Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi at a dialogue on gender-based violence hosted in Johannesburg yesterday.
Motsoaledi said alcohol and drugs also contribute to violence against women and children, and slammed alcohol advertising.
“Good things are always associated with alcohol, and we have seen sports people being used in these adverts.
“Sports can’t be built by alcohol. We will fight this battle till the end.”
Hosting the conference in his capacity as National Aids Council chairman, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said the majority of gender-based violence happens within the confines of our homes.
“As we are having a dialogue today, we have to set ourselves a target that says a home will be safest place in the country,” he said.
Citing as an example the special courts that were set up during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, Motlanthe said the country’s criminal justice system must also work like a well-oiled machine by dealing speedily with cases of this nature.
“If our system works that way, it will be a deterrent to crime.
“We have to look at the pattern below the surface of the incident,” Motlanthe said.
Veteran local actor Patrick Shai, who confessed to beating up his wife due to his own insecurities, called on all men to stand up against women and children abuse.
“As men, we also have to make sure that we are there for our children and teach them about the important role women play in our lives, so that they don’t feel helpless and start looking for supplement fathers.”
Deputy Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, called on men to be a part of the fight to end gender-based violence.
“We want men to say: ‘Not in our name will we allow women and children to be abused’,” she said.