The mere fact that your gender makes you vulnerable and scared is unacceptable.

To be a woman in this country is to live in constant fear. They can’t trust their husbands, boyfriends, brothers, uncles, teachers, coaches not to hurt them.The current conversation sparked by #menaretrash is important because it raises issues that woman face every day. The violence that threatens even their existence.

Research proves that socialisation, peer pressure, media and military influences lead to violence being acceptable behaviour in men. We have to intervene in this socialisation process if we have any chance of living in a non-violent society.Fathers in Africa has developed a school Life Orientation programme that challenges this toxic masculinity at its very core.

The programme will examine how culture bombards young men with sexist and misogynistic messages. We look at ways these messages short-circuit men's ability to empathize with women, respect them as equals, and take feminism seriously. We explore some of the key messages about manhood that boys absorb from the culture -- that they should acquire material wealth, meet conflict with aggression, harden themselves, suppress all human emotion except anger, and view women primarily as sexual objects. We then examine how these messages not only devalue women but also undercut men's innate capacity for caring and empathy. Along the way, we draw fascinating parallels between sexism and racism, spelling out how each is rooted in cultural norms that discourage empathy, and shows how men who break with these norms live happier and healthier lives.

In South Africa, we spend less than a tenth on preventative violence work as we do on reactive work. Its time we reversed that. If you want to climb on board, then please contact me: 

Kevin Rutter
Fathers in Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 716409093