On August 24, two women engaged with men to discuss issues of abuse under the banner of #AllAttentionToMen Campaign.
Co-founders of a non-profit organisation (NPO) Strength to Strength Ntombi Hlatshwayo (27) and Lettah Lehata (21) said the campaign aims to be different from other women abuse campaigns.
“As you look into the name given to the campaign you’d never tell that it is actually a ‘women abuse campaign’.
“In fact, this is a women abuse campaign through men.
”Our campaign aims to focus on the problem and not the victims.
“South Africa and the rest of the world put all the focus on women who are victims, and totally forget about men who are the source of the problem,” said Hlatshwayo.
She said many campaigns are formed to empower women, to let women speak out and express themselves on the issues. However, it does not matter how much a woman can be empowered, she still goes back home to meet the problem.
“I am saying that men have been neglected and have been in silence. They are humans too and go through stuff that affects their behaviour. If we can all give them a chance to speak out, to express themselves in a campaign that is specially made for them, it might just be the beginning of change.
“Men need to be reminded who they are. They need to be reminded of their roots, their purpose and to be given all the attention they’ve been looking for. They need to know that we’ve heard their cries seeking for help,” said Lehata.
“We want to educate and empower as many men as possible. We have to involve men more in the issue of women abuse. Our vision is to see men becoming more responsible and protective of women. If that happens, we will see the reduction in women abuse cases.”
The campaign is targeted to men from the ages of 18 and above,” The organisers explained.
