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Mamelodi senior citizens urged to speak out against violence on Heritage Day
Senior citizens were advised by the Moses Mabhida Foundation and Mamelodi stakeholders during a Heritage Day celebration to break the silence and speak out about violence against women and children.
The event was held next to Mamelodi West Police Station on Tuesday, September 24.
Event organiser Elizabeth Nthite from the Moses Mabhida Foundation said they invited seven senior citizen clubs from Mamelodi to come and celebrate the special day.
She said the day was “all about our different cultures, and the senior citizens dressed up according to theirs.
“The foundation prepared traditional food and played cultural songs,” said Nthite.
She said victims of GBV must be made aware of the resources available to help them and where to go for help.
The foundation offers one-on-one counselling and prayer sessions and also does referrals.
Among the senior citizens were many victims, mostly women, who did not want to open a case because they were told that if they did, the boyfriend or husband would lose his job.
Men are victims too.
Nthite said the important thing was to break the silence and condemn the violence against women so one can put an end to it.
The senior citizens were given pamphlets with tips around GBV, drug and alcohol abuse which can negatively affect all aspects of a person’s life and place an enormous burden on their family, friends, and community, as well as tips around abduction and kidnapping safety.
They were also told about different kinds of violence: domestic violence, psychological violence, economic and sexual violence, harassment, and hate crime.
Nthite said the campaign was a success, as they handed out hundreds of pamphlets to the public.
“We wanted to sensitise the community about GBV and also handed out safety tips.”
The senior citizens were told that the safety measures could prevent someone from being lured away and abducted.
Nthite reminded the senior citizens to make every day a “no violence against women and children day” and urged them to report any form of violence against women and children.
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