To celebrate the 16 Days of Activism against Against Gender-Based Violence, on the 7th of December 2019, Ubuma Leadership hosted the Men’s Imbizo at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg which highlighted on the multiple manifestations of patriarchy and toxic masculinity in all spaces of our society. The Imbizo also unpacked the false notions and narratives which we associate to safety as it relates to particular spaces or particular image-bearing men in society. The Men’s Imbizo seeks to transition from raising awareness to setting a new standard of accountability for how men behave. The Men’s Imbizo was co-founded by the Graça Machel Trust’s Research Associate, Mpilo Shabangu and Mhike Mpanya from Ubuma Leadership, in a bid to ensure that there are gender inclusive conversations happening to address the scourge of gender based violence in South Africa. Below are some of their thoughts on this topical issue:
Political emancipation. Economic emancipation. Social Emancipation. Emancipation is a concept so familiar and talked about that the word almost seems indigenous to our mother tongues. The focus of the first generation of African emancipators was the dismantling of the oppression of the system; the system of colonialism and apartheid. However, these systems did not operate in isolation these systems created and influenced spaces where the oppression imposed by the system was infiltrated into daily life. The same is true for patriarchy. Therefore, part of dismantling the system of patriarchy requires a total overhaul of the spaces in which its manifestations are commonplace.
One of the most dominating misconceptions surrounding patriarchy and its spaces of operation is the idea that patriarchy and toxic masculinity is confined to certain socio-economic stratum. The misnomer that men and women who have migrated from poverty to relative prosperity are insulated from the evils of patriarchy by the spaces they navigate. An accompanying lie is that patriarchy and female oppression are endemic to certain cultural and religious spaces and that as urbanization increases patriarchy and its various forms of expression must certainly decrease. This is false. Cognizant of the fact that gender-based violence cases are under-reported; the available evidence still points to the reality that gender-based violence knows no borders.
Whether it is in South Africa, where one in five women experience physical violence, or in the world at large where gender-based violence is structurally embedded in culture and condoned by society. A study published by in The Lancet estimated that 7.2 percent of women worldwide experienced non–partner sexual violence. Whilst globally, as much as 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence. Data from WomanStat project provides evidence for high rates of sexual violence in conflict zones in Africa, and the Middle East, but also in Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and India – countries which are not currently afflicted by war. The one commonality in these differing global spaces is men. Men are central to the crimes of femicide and gender-based violence – and therefore men must be central to the solution.
The South African Constitution envisions a society free from patriarchy and sexism. The Constitution establishes non-sexism as one of the nation’s founding values. 25 years later the nation has not translated this vision into a reality – but there is hope. The backdrop and venue for the Men’s Imbizo was Constitution Hill because it was a military fort, a concentration camp, a prison and now a shrine for Human Rights and home to the court that serves as custodian of the Constitution. It stands testament to the possibility for spaces to change and beyond that the possibility for society to change. The Men’s Imbizo hopes to be an agent of such change.
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.