By Daniel Itai, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Due to the continued increase in the number of daily Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases, Gill Naeser, Early Childhood Development (ECD) specialist and ethics expert, Prof. Puleng Lenka-Bula, have called upon the government and members of the public to do more.
“GBV is now quite persistent in our communities and higher education systems. None of the 26 universities are free from GBV. It’s this notion of patriarchy, and this is something we need to contest.
The first thing is to remind women to affirm their dignity and be aware of their socioeconomic and political environment. There should be systems that ensure social security.
We need to separate the issues of gender equality with socioeconomic and political issues,” said Prof. Lenka-Bula.
Moreso, Gill Naeser, said it was now imperative for children to be taught about the issues related to GBV from an early age.
We need to start rewiring from a young age soon after conception and before six years of age.
Moreso, we need to let them know that their safety is important. If we can teach young children who they can be safe with this will make them know that it’s okay to say no, let children express how they feel when someone touches them,” said the ECD specialist.
@danielItai_zw
