Cape Town – The war being waged by men on war on women’s bodies has led to the launch of the Men of Faith Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
The Sonke Gender Justice, the Justice and Peace Commission, along with various faith organisations, supported by the UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office and the entire United Nations family in South Africa, called on men of faith to examine their role as fathers, brothers, uncles, husbands, and partners this Father’s Day.
Sonke said more than 60% of South African children do not have a father to relate to, while one in three women will be sexually attacked - possibly by a father or potential father.
Reverend Bafana Khumalo said men of faith held positions of authority in their communities and they were calling on them to use it in speaking out against GBV.
“Today, we are meant to celebrate fathers, sadly this will be done with a lot of mixed emotions due to the war that men waged on women’s bodies.
“We have also proposed that for Father’s Day we as men, and especially men of faith, do a self-reflection. For society to accord you the award of being a good father you must have earned it through behaviour and how you show leadership as a man in society and how you support your family and children.
“One must not take it for granted we don’t all deserve the accolade of being called a good father.
“We have been through a brutal two weeks of maiming of women and we as men need to look in the mirror and ask: is this something we can be proud of. It is not enough to say I have not, because what have you done when you see other men doing these things?
“We have a responsibility to speak out and call out men to account for their actions.”
South African Council of Churches Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana endorsed Sonke’s stance, saying: “GBV is proving to be a silent pandemic accompanying the Covid-19.
"In this regard, the SACC National Church Leaders Weekly Covid Watch Meeting endorsed the campaign against GBV.”