South Africans must teach their young sons not to feel threatened by assertive girls. If they are threatened, it could lead to aggression.
This was one of the suggestions given on how to promote gender equity by Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula at the official launch of Women’s Month on Wednesday.
Mapisa-Nqakula also urged South African women not to be laid back about political issues.
”Women have achieved so much … we cannot afford to have these gains and achievements taken away,” she said at the launch of the celebrations at the women’s prison at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.
The launch was organised by the Commission on Gender Equity. Commission chairperson Joyce Piliso-Seroke said women contributed a great deal towards overcoming apartheid. She said both men and women are responsible in ensuring gender equity.
CEO of the Johannesburg Development Agency Lael Bethlehem said it is the responsibility of South Africans to make sure that one million domestic workers are offered decent living conditions.
”I personally feel a debt to my mothers before me … And we owe a debt to the generation who come after us,” she said.
But some want more than ”verbal commitments, launches, celebrations and symbolic marches” during Women’s Month.
Training and public awareness officer for People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa) Carrie Shelver said Women’s Day becomes a platform for the lip service of people in high positions, like ministers and government officials, but that it can still lead to greater awareness.
The support of black lesbians during Women’s Month will also be extensive following the increase in hate crimes against black lesbians. Two black lesbians were beaten and killed this year.
Community relations officer for the Forum for the Empowerment of Women Zanele Muholi said hate crimes have been going on forever and it is important to highlight the issue to the public.
”[Women’s day] is not only for women. It is for every second person who lives or resides in South Africa,” she said.
But South Africa has a long way to go until complete gender equality is achieved. ”The reality is that we live in a patriarchal society,” said Shelver.
Statistics on rape in South Africa(www.powa.co.za)
One in two women have a chance of being raped in their lifetime.
A woman is raped every 26 seconds in South Africa.
More than 40% of perpetrators are known to the rape survivor.
One in four women is in an abusive relationship.
A woman is killed every six days by her intimate male partner in South Africa.
For every 400 rapes reported last year, 17 became official cases, one perpetrator was convicted and for every perpetrator convicted, one case docket was lost/sold.