Pilot project at schools launched to empower girls
Government helping create inclusive, safe, socially connected communities
WESTERN Cape Health Research shows that seven in 10 children in African communities are not living with their fathers. Therefore, many families are headed by females. According to societal norms, such families are soft targets for criminals and are at greater risk.
The SA Medical Research Council reports that 40% of men assault their partners daily and that three women in South Africa are killed by their intimate partners every day.
This is the reality women live in – interpersonal violence is one of the prominent crimes in the country.
What makes it sad is some women stay in these relationships regardless of the circumstances.
Some of the cases go unreported, and some of those that are reported never see their day in court because women drop the charges.
Major-General Tebello Mosikili of the SAPS states that the Domestic Violence Act of 1998 prevents police from dropping charges against the suspects, but a lack of co-operation from the complainants often stalls the cases. In most cases, this happens when the victim and the suspect reconcile.
What is more concerning is how the abuse impacts on children in a relationship.
Adults often choose to reconcile with abusive partners, but children have no power nor the ability to report such crimes as they depend on their parents to do so.
In the Western Cape in this year alone, 22 young girls were killed. A key pattern throughout these cases is that the alleged perpetrators were known or trusted by the victim and/or the family.
We need a whole society approach. Community leaders, civil society and the public need to play a leading role. The lives of our children are in our hands; we cannot be silent.
The Western Cape Police Crime statistics further show that 7 130 sexual offences were recorded in 2015/16, a decrease of 239 from 7 369 in the previous year. Though there is a decrease, 7 130 is still a big number.
In response to various social ills plaguing our communities, the Western Cape government introduced the Provincial Strategic Goals (PSG). Provincial strategic Goal 3, in particular, aims to improve safety, wellness and tackle social ills in the province.
Our overarching aim is to create healthy, inclusive, safe and socially connected communities.
Through PSG3 we have introduced the Young Women and Girls Project that focuses on girls. It is crucial for us to empower young girls to understand what is considered abuse, and to take the necessary action before it is too late.
The young women and girls project has eight categories with different age groups.
The first group is Soul Buddyz, which is targeted at pupils from the age of 10 to 14. The clubs focus on safety and life orientation.
The second group is Keeping girls in School and targets high school-going girls between the ages of 15 to 19. The girls are helped with their homework while there are also sessions that are run at schools to ensure they remain in school no matter their circumstances.
We also have two mobiles providing sexual reproductive health services and HIV screenings.
The Child Protection Programme is targeted at pupils and their parents. Workshops are held by social workers and our NGO partners. The aim is to empower parents of teenagers who have fallen pregnant at school.
Teen parenting – this part of the project helps teen parents navigate parenthood while at school. The aim is to keep these children at school despite their circumstances by assisting them with their school work.
Rise Young women and Women of worth – these two are similar programmes that equip young women between the ages of 19 and 24 with life skills so that they may be able to present themselves well for job opportunities and are able to start their own small businesses.
The Woman of Worth programme does not only equip these young women with life skills alone; health services are also offered and a monetary incentive is an added bonus for some of the girls.
The purpose is to rescue the girls from the blesser/blessee phenomenon that has taken over in our society. This programme has a cash incentive that is given to young women to buy the basic necessities.
Societal prejudices often portray the woman as being at fault when abuse takes place.
As part of the Young Women and girls projects we have recently introduced the Men’s dialogue – Masibambisane madoda.
This programme brings men together to engage on issues that they are confronted with in their respective communities. They unpack gender norms and stereotypes in relation to a man’s role is in society. These dialogues take place in their assumed comfortable spaces. Our overall aim is to Address gender power. Address gender distorted norms. Promote the uptake of men’s reproductive health services and;
Discourage intergenerational relationships. The Western Cape Department of Health received R80 million from the Global Fund to run these projects.
We are currently running successful pilots in the Klipfontein and Mitchell’s Plain areas.
Our core business as health is to deliver health services to the people of the Western Cape. However, the challenges facing young women and girls compel us to go a step further.
I would like to thank the Western Cape Department of Education for allowing us to pilot this project in schools. We would not be able to do this without their buy-in.
Western Cape government is better working together.