The violence must stop!

As I write this we’re well into 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

My problem is that some members of our communities don’t seem to be aware of this remedial campaign.

When they hear stories of women being beaten, raped or killed by their partners, they even joke about it. This is because they wrongfully believe it’ll never happen to them or their relatives.

GBV is like cancer and affects us all who live in South Africa. It’s everyone’s responsibility to fight it. The first step is to ensure you don’t commit such crimes yourself.

If you’re a man, make sure all women and children around you are safe in your presence.

We’re living in difficult times where some of us are frustrated by financial troubles. But it’s totally unacceptable to vent your frustrations on your partner and kids.

Some men seem to think they can use money to sleep with every woman they want. When they can’t get their way, they resort to violence.

Some men marry women only to treat them like slaves. They go out to jol with their side chicks every weekend while their wives stay at home to take care of the kids and do all the housework alone.

Men and women in general must respect one another if we’re to win the battle against GBV.

It’ll also help us as a society to acknowledge that there are also rare cases of women who abuse men. I urge my fellow women to respect our men and show them the kind of love we want them to return.

Let’s make more people aware of the 16 Days of No Violence against Women and Children. MA LEDUBUKO, BOCHUM I battle to understand the reason behind the killing and beating of women and children in our country. All these men and boys where brought up by woman. What went wrong in their upbringing? ANNA WEBSTER, BOKSBURG NORTH