CRIME against women and children continues to be one of the biggest epidemics facing all communities in South Africa.
The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children is a worldwide campaign to highlight violence against women and children. It aims to raise awareness about the plight of women and children in our society.
We, as the Rock Girls, interviewed people about the campaign to understand the social outlook on abuse against women and children. We interviewed a Nyanga resident, Monde Nonabe, who told us that women were suppressed in all aspects of life.
Nonabe thinks it is not enough that men are taught about matters like this on social media, but that they should also be willing to unlearn the old ways of treating women, and to let women be themselves and let them live beyond the perimeters of men.
Bukho Gcwabe, a 19-year-old from Khayelitsha, says: "The abuse of women and children affects everyone, even those who have not experienced it. This should be a campaign that is honoured daily throughout the year, not only for 16 days in a year. Abuse also tends to haunt us throughout our lifetime because in most cases, boys who grow up seeing their mothers abused or experiencing violence tend to think this is the normal way to treat women."
Fish Hoek resident Lisa Peter, 18, told us that she thinks men should also stand up against issues like this since it has been talked about by women. She said not much progress has been made.
We, as the Rock Girls, asked ourselves why women and children are violated. It’s because people don’t realise the great value in women and children. They stick to one story, where we are told what we should do or even how we should act and dress. Why can’t we be seen as women who are able to construct their own houses for their own families? Sometimes it’s because we let them. We should not feel like it’s our fault. It should never be this way. Remember that.
People don’t realise what women are capable of, and what great assets we are to our countries and the rest of the world. Women should be given the platform to express themselves. They should not live by society’s expectations or let the approval or disapproval of others determine their value.
What are our greatest hopes for women and children in our country? We hope to be able to build great leaders who are able to do extraordinary things. Starting off takes effort, but we need every bit of motivation we can get to put an end to the violence against women and children.
All of these opinions matter. They are a part of what builds our communities. We need to change the idea of having one story printed in our heads. All of us have a purpose – to be great, extraordinary and to be leaders. Being a Rock Girl has built great leadership potential in some of us. It has made us realise we can make the pain go away and end the violence by creating safe spaces in our communities.
We feel this campaign should be a continuous process of building a non-violent community. Everyone should realise that everyone is at risk regardless of their socio-economic status.