7 minute read
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Ilitha Labantu TAKE A STAND, TAKE ACTION
MANDISA MONAKALI, founder and president of Ilitha Labantu, shares what South African women and communities should be doing to join the fi ght against GBV
ILITHA LABUNTA OFFERS HOPE AND HELP
Ilitha Labantu is a nonprofi t organisation providing free counselling services, legal support, training, education and empowerment programmes to women and children survivors of abuse in the townships and rural communities of the Western Cape region.
Realising that domestic violence and abuse pose a signifi cant threat to the development of women and children in townships, abuse survivor Mandisa Monakali established Ilitha Labantu in 1989. She says: “When I founded the organisation, it was the fi rst of its kind to offer the specialised services in the black townships of the Western Cape. Women in the townships had little hope of leaving abusive situations due to the distant location of places where services and help are offered. This, together with a language barrier (most of the organisations in the more affl uent communities spoke Afrikaans or English), and the need to pay for the services, deterred women.” Ilitha Labantu’s services are free and accessible to women, children and those affected by abuse.
FOR MORE ON ILITHA LABANTU
While South Africa’s democratic constitution is hailed as one of the world’s most progressive constitutions with laws and legislation that serve to protect the rights of women and children, it is perplexing that the country has a monstrous record of gross human rights violations against women, painting a grim picture of a society at war with its women. These atrocities occur despite South Africa’s “progressive” laws. Such acts of gender-based violence (GBV) are deeply rooted in South Africa’s colonial and apartheid pasty and the patriarchy, misogyny and toxic masculinity that permeates society irrespective of race, class, religion, culture, geography, or background.
WE NEED ACTION
To fully realise women’s rights and resolve the challenges they face, we need a greater sense of unity and transformative measures that seek to address the structural causes of gender inequality at national, local and household levels. This requires more stringent measures to help curb the rate of violence against women, an improvement in the prosecution rate of Mandisa Monakali perpetrators of abuse and the enforcement of a more responsive social protection system, as well as access to long-term and sustainable economic opportunities for the empowerment of women.
Robust action based on a proactive strategy must be taken by government in collaboration with the private sector to help restore the livelihoods lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and address GBV. The high incident rate of violence against women and children should be a wake-up call that the nation needs to apply more innovative strategies to help change the entrenched behaviour of men.
There is a great need for a mass public awareness campaign to comprehensively engage and educate all sectors of society around GBV and its roots in gender inequalities. Through education, society can unlearn the negative gender stereotypes that contribute to the discrimination and abuse of women, children and vulnerable groups.
Men also need to play a more active role in the fi ght against GBV. Women alone cannot win this fi ght, it requires men’s active engagement in dismantling the toxic patriarchal power structures that exist in all spheres of society. While not all men are perpetrators of violence, it is the silence of male bystanders that helps to normalise the abuse of women – men need to hold each other accountable for their actions.
Far too often the support for the women’s movement has been reserved solely for Women’s Month or the annual 16 Days of No Violence against Women and Children campaign. However, the support for the plight of women should be all year round. Strategic sectors within our society need to pledge their commitment towards ending GBV and empowering women and girls throughout the year by providing women and girls with resources and services.
South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that the nation can unite, even in its diversity, to make society a better place for all. Let us all come together and commit to a higher level of action to end gender-based violence – no one is exempt from taking action.
Sanelisiwe Jabane - WELA Inspirational Woman The WELA Team From left: Nicole Truter (Project Coordinator), Professor Ann Lourens (Project Manager), Mieshkah Dolley-Ryneveld (Project Supporter).
WELA at the
forefront of change
The Women in Engineering Leadership Association is one of fi ve projects initiated and managed by the merSETA Chair in Engineering Development. It is committed to the development of women and facilitating transformation in the sector
engineering and production (STEP) fi eld. This programme features a workshop series focusing on leadership styles, inclusivity, diversity and teamwork. Participants are also provided with practical production line training.
WELA continues to grow and evolve and aims to be at the forefront of gender mainstreaming within the science, technology and engineering fi elds.
Ready to change the world? Use these links to explore the study possibilities and to learn more about the Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology.
The Women in Engineering Leadership Association (WELA) Wela, was founded in 2012 to support female students in the School of Engineering at the Nelson Mandela University to enhance their academic experience and assist them in completing their studies.
WELA fulfi ls the university’s mandate of being of service to society through its focus on the academic, professional and personal development of women in engineering. This includes various developmental workshops, outreach, guest lecturers, academic support, meetings and gatherings, and a mentorship programme where senior WELA members are trained to mentor junior WELA members.
WELA is managed by Professor Ann Lourens, head of the Industrial Engineering department, along with project co-ordinator Nicole Truter. “WELA strives to create a culture of inclusion, equality and innovation,” says Lourens. “Our female engineering students and practising female engineers’ needs are met through the designed programmes and workshops, which complement their acquired academic skills.”
EVENTS, WORKSHOPS AND PROMOTIONS
“Engaged engineering means taking responsibility for fostering a sense of leadership that is centred around innovation, change and forward-thinking,” Lourens explains. “It means that we focus on the development and support of women operating in traditionally male-dominated environments and create opportunities to grow female engineers and attract more females to the fi eld.”
Over the past 12 months, WELA has continued to present online events and workshops to members to enhance their self-confi dence and ability and improve female student retention rates. These events and workshops included: • Mentorship meetings and activities • International Women Engineering Day celebration • True colours workshop • Team building and Ubuntu workshops • Wellness and strength assessment workshops • Unleashing the brain potential webinar in collaboration with Emthonjeni Student Wellness • Choices of a successful woman webinar • Forgiveness workshop webinar • Emotional intelligence webinar In 2020, WELA developed an animated promotional video for school learners promoting engineering as a study and career opportunity for girls. The association is also compiling members’ stories into a storybook for primary school learners to encourage and educate them about the role of women in engineering.
Throughout the lockdown, WELA and the Learning and Teaching Collaboration Cluster at the university, under the guidance of Ronelle Plaatjes, provided academic and emotional support to the WELA students.
The association also designed the ninth edition of the Inspirational Women and Inspirational Students publication that introduces new WELA members to readers. The publication is distributed at marketing events and in the manufacturing industry. Due to the pandemic, the 10th edition was distributed electronically, and some of the featured new members profi les were posted to the associations social media platforms.
The association also offers an Early Career Development programme for both women and men working in the science, technology,
Getting to know the Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology
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Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology’s Website
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iDEATE Publication
https://ebet.mandela.ac.za/ebeit/media/Store/ documents/IDEATE/EBET_iDEATE_Vol_1_ March_2021-(DIGITAL-2).pdf
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WELA Presentation
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