MBOMBELA – The sound of footsteps on tar and muffled voices were all that could be heard, but their message was loud and clear: no longer would they stand for abuse against women and children.
About 100 men, women and children gathered to march the city streets to raise awareness for the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children which started on Tuesday.
Marchers’ mouths were covered with black tape to represent the silent struggle of hundreds of women across the country tortured by domestic violence every day.
“We are here to break the silence,” said protest coordinator Sibahle Dlamini. “We want to encourage women to speak about their experiences, to not hide it any more, to say ‘no, it’s not okay’.”
The procession marched down the Old Pretoria Road to the Lowveld Rugby Club (LRC). Marchers were dressed in red and black T-shirts, holding banners saying, “Real men don’t abuse women and children” and “Be a man and stop violence against women and children”.
After arriving at LRC the women ripped off the tape and symbolically shouted “no” in unison. “This is how we represent that many voices are more powerful than only one,” said Dlamini.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) organised the march to voice their experience with domestic violence. “In 2009 we tragically lost a manager of SABC education to domestic violence on the morning of November 25, the day the campaign started,” said Dlamini.
As part of this initiative, numerous radio and television interviews will be held with victims of domestic violence. Activists will visit schools to teach children, especially young girls, to respect their bodies and to not let anyone touch or speak to them inappropriately. “We want to educate them about their rights and make them love themselves.”
