East London - A human rights activist has called on Eastern Cape men to stand up and fight against the abuse of women and children by men.
Addressing a small crowd at a men's indaba held in East London on Wednesday, Eastern Cape Men's Sector NGO chairperson Reverend Lulama Ntshingwa said violent acts such as corrective rape, rape and molestation of women and children and ritual murders must be rooted out.
"The realities of our social constructs and moral fibre that define society have become quite scary. We can't live in a society where we have our women's and children's private parts being sliced off just to make a quick buck," said Ntshingwa.
He said men needed to take a firmer stance against those who commit such atrocities by making their voices heard.
This comes as government gets ready to launch the 16 Days of Activism Campaign on No Violence against Women and Children campaign tomorrow.
Founding member of the gender-based anti-violence NGO, Men for Change, Nkosohlanga Mkonjwa said socialisation and the roles of girls and women within the family dynamic needed to change if a shift in society's attitudes towards women was to happen.
"Our women and girls need to be more empowered in their roles in a family. The belief that 'Johnny must kick the ball while Suzie sweeps the floor' creates an environment in which men feel superior to women, and this manifests itself in society where men believe they can do with women what they please," said Mkonjwa.
Human rights activist and provincial legislature member Nomsisi Bata said as long as women cannot walk the streets at night without the fear of being raped, tortured and even killed, they have not yet tasted liberation in the true sense of the word.
She urged young men to "stand up tall like real men should" and champion the struggle against women and child abuse in society.
"If anyone can get the message across to the perpetrators of these crimes, it's the youth. They are the ones who can relate to these people because most of (the perpetrators) are in their age group," said Bata.
Ntshingwa also expressed concern over the high failure rate of the province's men's organisations due to lack of funding.
He said, however, this would not deter their organisations fight against women and child abuse in the country.
"We'll be out in full force during the celebrations in Mqanduli on 25 November to show our unwavering support for women and children," said Ntshingwa.
