How boys can actively make change in attitudes
WHILE on their usual walk with their dogs at Polo Pony Dam, Hillcrest, outside Durban, in 2008, Jessica Foord and her father Tim were accosted by five men who robbed them at gun and knife point then proceeded to gang rape her. Her father was tied to a tree and forced to watch.
The perpetrators, who were between the ages of 18 and 26 at the time, were apprehended and given sentences ranging from nine years to life imprisonment.
Thereafter, the Jes Foord Foundation was launched and the goal was to empower rape survivors through education and support.
Eleven years since her ordeal, Foord, who is now a mother to 5-yearold twins, said victims of sexual assault and violence were becoming victors.
In an interview with the Sunday Tribune, in light of the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Women and Children, Foord said the increase in the number of awareness campaigns and marches was an indication of a society that has had enough and determined to eradicate the scourge.
“We are in a society that is teaching people how not to be raped and assaulted rather than stopping it from happening. We need to focus on young boys and help to change their mindset, their thinking and their ideas around consent,” she said.
Based on that notion, the Jes Foord Foundation established a mentorship programme six years ago for high school boys in different grades and from different areas.
“We take young boys who are influential within their schools and communities who people are willing to listen to,” said Foord.
Those chosen to be part of the mentorship programme go on a fourday camp where issues such as consent, sexuality, HIV and Aids, bullying and the role of a man within a society are tackled.
At the end of the programme participants were expected to share the knowledge gained with their peers and community members through projects monitored by the foundation.
Sbu Mthethwa, a mentor at the foundation, believed that young men had a chance of getting it right through their programme. He said it offered guidance, support and taught them to accept their weaknesses. Consent and equality within romantic relationships were also major aspects.
“Culturally, there are many things that are dealt with inappropriately and those need to be exposed,” he said. “Sometimes when the perpetrator is a relative, it is often hidden and a goat is paid for a heinous crime.”
Mthethwa said society needed young men who would not be silent and silenced. “When they see it happening they need to do something about it. Our boys need to stand firm against what is wrong.
“Imagine if all men in our communities said no to rape and violence, perpetrators would be few.”
Foord warned that this holiday season was notorious for an increase in the number of sexual assaults against children as they were not at school or with their caregivers.
Culturally, there are many things that are dealt with inappropriately and those need to be exposed Sbu Mthethwa MENTOR, JESS FOORD FOUNDATION