Taking a stand against women and child abuse

Violence against women and children is very much alive, as has been recently reported in the media.

Baby Jamie Naidoo’s brutal death and the incident involving a Ugandan nanny’s horrific assault of a two-year-old girl has shown that society has not yet found a way to protect our most valuable gifts, children.

As horrific as these incidents were, many cases go unreported and there are children in our country who bear abuse in silence.

Women are just as often victims as children, falling victim to domestic violence, rape, emotional abuse, physical abuse and financial abuse to mention but a few.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, the Hindu Women Forum hosted an awareness function at Fernwood Community Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Guests were educated about the importance of abuse and what was classified as abuse.

Farieda Mia from Child Welfare said that in campaigns such as the 16 Days of Activism, it was vital to include boys and men, as they too were victims of abuse.

She continued it was imperative that victims took a stand and broke the silence, taking the power away from their abusers.

“If you are a victim of abuse, it is your responsibility to report it and take steps, especially when children are implicated,” she emphasised.

She claimed children growing up in abusive homes either grew to become victims, or learned that abuse was okay.

Guests were also encouraged to not ignore abuse if it was occurring behind the door’s of their neighbour’s home. Anonymous calls can be made to Child Welfare on 034 312 6228 or the police on 10111.

Sister Yolandi Groenewald from the Crisis Centre at the Madadeni Provincial Hospital gave a brief talk on her work.

Dealing with sex crime victims, she emphasised the importance of women and children reporting sexual crimes as soon as possible to collect evidence to ensure the perpetrator faced the consequences of his actions.

The day’s awareness campaign left guests with food for thought, knowing that abuse was not merely a word, but that it demanded action from the community to put a stop to it.