MPUMALANGA WOMEN AND MEN SPEAK IN ONE VOICE
By Wilson Matsawela, Nelspruit

November 26, 2003 – (BuaNews - Pretoria) The Mpumalanga Provincial Government launched the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children yesterday.

The event will run until December 10 with various activities lined up to ensure that the rights of women and children are protected and people are educated to respect those rights.

The provincial government urged all communities to be untied in uprooting the scourge of violence against women and children.

The event kicked off with men and women in the province marching to the government complex and handing their memorandums to Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu expressing opposition to violence against women and children and support for the campaign.

The Mpumalanga Women in Action for No Violence Against Women and Children in their memorandum challenged government and civil society to be actively involved in seeking justice and peace for women and children.

The group also urged government to highlight women's importance in society and added children formed the country's building blocks for the future.

The women called on government, churches and civil society to inculcate the culture of zero tolerance to women and child abuse as well as towards the perpetrators.

They committed themselves to the eradication of gender-based violence, eradication of discrimination against HIV and AIDS sufferers and the eradication of poverty, which causes a cycle of such violence.

The Mpumalanga Men in Action Against Violence on Women and Children also called for a vigorous campaign through mass mobilisation of men to participate in the fight against women and child abuse in their memorandum.

They committed themselves to the establishment of men's forums at provincial and local level, to build positive role models in society and to involve men into other existing programmes dealing with gender based violence, among other commitments.

Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu said government had built a more comprehensive response to gender violence throughout the health system by supporting and encouraging routine screening of domestic violence.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200311260280.html