Men join fight against femicide in South Africa
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on RFI
Illustrative image · Luis Quintero · Pexels · Licence PexelsIn South Africa, discussion groups bring together men who want to help fight violence against women and femicide. The mobilisation comes in a country where gender-based violence has been described as a “national catastrophe” by Cyril Ramaphosa, according to RFI.
Men’s groups meet every Wednesday in Johannesburg to discuss violence against women and femicide, in a country where these crimes are among the most common in the world, RFI reports. Sibusiso Shongwe, one of the founders of a discussion group based outside a neighbourhood bar, believes collective discussion can help change men’s behaviour.
Ayanda Ngubane, 18, takes part in the meetings to find positive male role models. He explains that young boys can reproduce violent behaviours observed in their families. The Father a Nation association, represented by its national coordinator Zizipho Mtwesi, also organises spaces where men question norms learned in certain communities.
In September, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on men to mobilise against violence against women after a series of femicides in Johannesburg, according to RFI.
