President Cyril Ramaphosa spent his Tuesday morning listening and talking to young men and boys about gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF)
His audience, from schools around Gauteng, had gathered at a movie theatre at Maponya Mall in Soweto.
Ramaphosa was there to lend an ear to their challenges and how he can assist them to not be a part of men who abuse and kill women and children.
The dialogue formed part of Ramaphosa’s presidential indaba.
Throwing questions at the president, the young men highlighted an impact of broken families, and how this has had a bad effect on their attitudes towards women.
They asked the president to take the conversation to a national level and open a space for men to talk about their feelings.
Some learners, who are part of the LGBTQI+ community, informed the president that schools are not embracing different sexual orientations.
The said gay and transgender boys receive harsh treatment from teachers.
They also spoke about the introduction of unisex bathrooms and how this will likely help ensure that young school girls feel comfortable and safe.
Ramaphosa told the indaba that government understands how broken homes have resulted in a broken society that has normalised the scourge of GBVF.
He said it is time for society to redefine masculinity.
“When I declared GBV as a pandemic in the midst of Covid-19, it was because of these GBV cases that happen in the most intimate spaces like homes,” said Ramaphosa.
“We have a challenge of reaching out to all men, because men refuse to speak.
“However, we will add programmes to reach out to boys who aren’t here, because we want you to be a generation of men who vocalise their feelings instead of resorting to violence.”
He said it is essential for boys to learn from a young age to respect women, have empathy, boundaries, and challenge gender stereotypes by communicating.
“Our government has made enormous strides in addressing the discrimination of LGBTQI+ community. We want to make schools safe for all learners, that way we will all have safe communities.”
The president added that the only way South Africa can combat the scourge of GBV is through dialogue.
“It should start by the conversations you have with your peers, the comments you make about girls’ bodies,” he said.
“The only way to avoid you becoming men who demean women and sexualise them is by understanding how different you are from them and respect them.”
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
