The campaign 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children is an international campaign to educate the world about the high number of violent crimes against vulnerable women and children. Dr Lerato Dikobe-Kalane, board member at Psychiatry Management Group (Psych MG) says women need to know more of their rights. “Women are still unaware of their rights whilst others are afraid of further violence from the perpetrator if they attempt legal action. This is even more compounded by the introduction of the new Domestic Violence Act, which a lot of women do not fully understand, and the widespread non-compliance to the Act at police station level, where domestic violence cases are not being recorded as they should be.” Women need to speak up and come together to break the silence on abuse, and men need to protect their loved ones instead of being perpetrators. Organisations like Sonke Gender Justice are assisting to help the fight against abuse. Patrick Godana of Sonke Gender Justice says, “We are socialising boys and men to be advocates in the community and know that speaking about their feelings isn’t a weakness. Men need to more involved and be supportive husbands and fathers it isn’t up to the government anymore.”
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