Youth of Langa gathered at the Old Flats to attend the workshop on gender-based violence facilitated by fourth-year medical students from the University of Cape Town.
A group of fourth-year medical students from the University of Cape Town held an informative workshop, in Langa, in an effort to educate their peers about gender-based violence.
Love life and the Cultural Leaders and Diverse Community organisation, were some of the stakeholders who partnered with the university.
UCT site facilitator, Patricia Ncamile, said as part of their studies, students are required to do a community project. Ms Ncamile said through discussions they wanted to establish what the youth of Langa understand about gender-based violence and what could be done to end it.
Ms Ncamile said through the workshop they wanted to shape the thinking and mindset of the youth, especially young men, about gender-based violence.
She said they discovered that some of the triggers of gender-based violence is the abuse of alcohol.
Ms Ncamile said it is critical that young people understand the mental and physical impact of gender-based violence.
“Take care of yourself. If you feel that you are being abused, report it.
“Never allow yourself to be abused. Men need to change their ill behaviour towards women and children.
“Be the change you want to see. We appeal to the youth to be agents of change and to set a good example in the community,” she said.
Chief Vuyile Galada of the Cultural Leaders and Diverse Community organisation said one of their roles is to mould and build young men to become responsible and loving husband and fathers.
He said as traditional leaders they also take part in such programmes as it plays a pivotal role in addressing the issue of gender-based violence in the community.
He said leaders had a duty to play an active role in building up young men to becoming better people who respect women.
Chief Galada said men are supposed to protect and provide for their families not terrorise them and make their lives a living hell.
He said as senior men they needed to set a good example on how to treat women and raise their voices in discouraging women abuse.
UCT student Ranzida Khuliso, said they wanted to address and tackle some of the underlying matters relating to gender-based violence.
He said the key message they wanted to get across to the youth of Langa was that gender-based violence is wrong and it should never be tolerated.
“Gender-based violence is a criminal offence.
“We want this youth to know these little things that contribute to gender-based violence, which are seen as normal and ignored are wrong.
“Due to the environment we grow up in as black people things such as hitting women is accepted and these are some of the things that need to be corrected so that this youth know it’s wrong,” he said.
Love life representative, Luyolo Lingisi Hawule, said gender-based violence is something that the community of Langa has taken as the norm.
He said it was time now to change that narrative and thinking and urged everyone to stop the abuse.