Using sport to defeat gender-based violence
Sport was used as a tool to campaign against gender-based violence (GBV) at the Zolani Centre last Saturday, when Nyanga Men Empowerment, in conjunction with Ubuzwe Community Development, organised a line-up of activities.
Under the theme “Building safe society through sport”, the event provided a platform for women to advocate against GBV and engage men in the fight against the scourge.
Leaders shared advice in group discussions on how to contribute to ending GBV in each respective industry.
In an effort to unite the two genders, girls and boys competed in different sporting codes.
Chairperson of Nyanga Men Empowerment, Xolani Feni, said sport is the best way to educate people.
“Domestic violence is a big part of our society. Nyanga is one of the most affected areas so we had to do something.We thought of sport as a better thing to fight the scourge. We are fighting the GBV for young people. We collaborated with these organisations to get assistance from them,” he said.
He said his organisation wants to root out GBV.
“The aim is to go to schools and to the sporting clubs. We want people, especially men, to be at the forefront of this fight,” said Mr Feni
He praised the stakeholders and the donors that assisted on the day.
Chairperson of the Ubuzwe Community Development, Malusi Xego, said they saw it fitting to partner with organisations with similar visions.
He said it is about time that everyone rises up and ensures an end to GBV.
He said they felt that young people need to be educated against the scourge of GBV.
“Sport brings people together. It was an opportunity to pass the messages to them. I am happy because in the end, they had fun andlearnt.”
He urged young girls and women who are in abusive relationships to seek help and report it.
Mr Xego added that the two organisations were based on the principle of creating a safer society by strengthening youth’s awareness and courage. “They need to have courage to report ills and crimes, have courage to say no and most importantly to care for each other and the area they live in.”
