Empowering Men for Peace, Development, and Gender Equality

COMMUNITIES AND IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE MFANOZELWE SHOZI

CONTENT OF PRESENTATION Historical background Peacebuilding Development Fatherhood and parenthood Crime and gender Based violence issues Closing

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Family set up is changing Now children are born at a very early age they attend crenches and preschool Do not look after calves and cattle If you child look after cattle will loose in the education How do we ensure that we raise children that understand culture and participate in the educational aspirations of the country Men should help mothers to navigate around these complexities. They are new ways of raising children we need to dialogue about this because these process are forever changing Lets build communities taking into consideration that our communities are not static

PEACE BUILDING Men are projected as people who are involved in faction fighting, political violence and perpetuating violence The result of violence and its impact of violence: - destruction of property, scores of people die, children loose school time and some even drop out, emigration, production of hit men, stock theft, lack of investment, etc. Many men are in prison for gender-based and sexual violence crimes why is this? Men should initiate and run peace building programmes that promote peace building in their homes and communities Municipalities should develop peace building programmes that will instill values of peace in our communities. Men should lead peace programmes and deal with all violence tendencies Lets promote stick fighting as a sport rather than a defense mechanism Refrain from socializing young boys to be fighters

DEVELOPMENT Men must spread their wings in all sectors of society including getting involved non governmental organisations Now there are more women found in tertiary institutions than men Lets not close spaces for women but we should make sure that men s views are heard as well Men used to play a role in agricultural activities that has decreased we need to get involved In the sectors where there are no women, men should work hard to include women like wise women should do the same.

DEVELOPMENT Although there are more men in the hard sciences like engineering, ICT but women are slowly occupying this space We need to get involved in the mainstream economy like Ocean economy, mining, Agriculture If we are not careful we find more men in the shebeens and more women in the economy and we need ensure that both males and females get same education, employment opportunities and equal rights. Men need to get involved in joining spiritual organisations like churches, or follow traditional systems to do this. In churches in particular men need to get involved as ordinary members

FATHERHOOD AND PARENTHOOD Lets support our children If we do not do that we contribute to poverty (children are not going to complete school and will end up unemployed) This is the burden to the state which is pressured to pay social grants and burden to women or mothers who are supposed to take care of the these children Children end up being neglected

CRIME AND GENDER ISSUES Men get arrested for gender violations but there are so many men who are vulnerable Of course those who have wronged the state must be arrested In building our society we must work together to make their voices heard on issues of family planning, maintenance of children, custody of children during divorce Men should claim these rights including requiring maintenance from their spouses if they have grounds that their spouses could afford that Lets deal with LGBTIQ+ community issues Rights during cohabitation when you separate you should ensure that you do not loose cars and property

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE Gender based violence includes emotional abuse, economic abuse, sexual harassment, physical abuse, sexual harassment, homophobic violence In building communities men need to raise and work with existing structures to prevent, educate other men and women on these matters. These are not women s issues are men s issues as well. Men should also report and demand justice if their rights have been infringed Men should get involved in the gender equality project As men we need to take part in administration of our households

CLOSING Thank you MEC for identifying me to talk on these very diverse subjects Lecturer DUT Community Education and Project Manager for DUT Imbali Education and Innovation Precinct BA (Natal), Btech (Technikon SA), Diploma in ABET (Natal), Diploma in Business Administration (Damelin), Masters in community development (UKZN), PHD candidate in peace studies (DUT) Contact details : mfanozelweshozi@gmail.com