Practical solution to end violence

AS WE offered support to the 16 Days of Activism for no Violence against Women and Children campaign, poverty and unemployment are at the centre of perpetuating the scourge of abuse and practical solutions must be at hand.

The exclusion of women from economic participation must not be overlooked, as it is one of the major factors influencing the sort of violence women find themselves in.

Women are less likely to report abuse if it is perpetuated by breadwinners. The government operates within a system of gender inequality that was previously imposed by cultural practices and the old apartheid system. It is pleasing to see departments such as rural development and land reform turning women into self-liberators by offering them entrepreneurial skills and resources to create their own income. The recent handing over of materials to the Buhlebesive Arts and Crafts Co-operative by Deputy Minister Mashego Dlamini at Chochocho in Mbobela, Mpumalanga, is a practical example of a solution.

The co-operative consists of women who were trained by the department to enable them to produce and sell their products. If women are financially emancipated they are able to care for their families and are less likely to be abused.

MPHO M RAMMUTLA

Pretoria