By SIKHO NTSHOBANE
A Prominent forum for queens and wives of traditional leaders wants young girls in the OR Tambo district to be empowered with information that will help them escape social ills like ukuthwala and other forms of domestic and gender-based abuse.
Speaking during the first day of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) dialogue in Mthatha yesterday, Imbumba yamaKhosikazi akoMkhulu president Queen Madosini Ndamase said there were areas where young girls were still conditioned to believe that forced marriages were okay.
“It is a crime. It might have been a cultural practice back in the days but now it is wrong,” she said, referring to the practice of ukuthwala, or the forced marriages of underage girls.
“We want people to understand it is against the law. Women have rights.”
Ndamase said young girls who had been forced into the practice ended up becoming “sex machines” because their development was stunted.
OR Tambo district mayor Nomakhosazana Meth told the same audience that the practice of ukuthwala was rearing its ugly head in some parts of the district again. She said the district was still plagued by poverty, unemployment and inequality.
“We are trying to unravel this problem but reporting it is still a challenge. Hence we don’t have proper statistics,” she added.
The mayor, in her state of the district address recently, had indicated that three cases of ukuthwala had been uncovered in Mqanduli.
They were subsequently reported to law enforcement agencies, she said at the time.
Yesterday, Meth claimed the problem of gender-based violence was still rife in her district and that many citizens, especially those in rural areas, were still in the dark about their rights.
“There is a gap between those who have the information and those who don’t have it. we are excited about the dialogue as it offers an opportunity to elevate women’s emancipation and gender equality.
“As women in our space, we must take stock and review past progress, as well as barriers that continue to militate against women empowerment in our country. Gender-based violence often escalates dramatically due to unemployment, poverty and income inequality.”
Bukeka Tunyiswa, who holds the dual role of CWP sub national branch chairwoman in the Eastern Cape provincial legislature and legislature deputy speaker, said one of their responsibilities was to bring more women parliamentarians together to discuss issues experienced by women, including inequality.
Gender activist Nomtusi Mbere said inequality would not exist if gender-based violence could be defeated. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Forced marriages a crime, says forum
A Prominent forum for queens and wives of traditional leaders wants young girls in the OR Tambo district to be empowered with information that will help them escape social ills like ukuthwala and other forms of domestic and gender-based abuse.
Speaking during the first day of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) dialogue in Mthatha yesterday, Imbumba yamaKhosikazi akoMkhulu president Queen Madosini Ndamase said there were areas where young girls were still conditioned to believe that forced marriages were okay.
“It is a crime. It might have been a cultural practice back in the days but now it is wrong,” she said, referring to the practice of ukuthwala, or the forced marriages of underage girls.
“We want people to understand it is against the law. Women have rights.”
Ndamase said young girls who had been forced into the practice ended up becoming “sex machines” because their development was stunted.
OR Tambo district mayor Nomakhosazana Meth told the same audience that the practice of ukuthwala was rearing its ugly head in some parts of the district again. She said the district was still plagued by poverty, unemployment and inequality.
“We are trying to unravel this problem but reporting it is still a challenge. Hence we don’t have proper statistics,” she added.
The mayor, in her state of the district address recently, had indicated that three cases of ukuthwala had been uncovered in Mqanduli.
They were subsequently reported to law enforcement agencies, she said at the time.
Yesterday, Meth claimed the problem of gender-based violence was still rife in her district and that many citizens, especially those in rural areas, were still in the dark about their rights.
“There is a gap between those who have the information and those who don’t have it. we are excited about the dialogue as it offers an opportunity to elevate women’s emancipation and gender equality.
“As women in our space, we must take stock and review past progress, as well as barriers that continue to militate against women empowerment in our country. Gender-based violence often escalates dramatically due to unemployment, poverty and income inequality.”
Bukeka Tunyiswa, who holds the dual role of CWP sub national branch chairwoman in the Eastern Cape provincial legislature and legislature deputy speaker, said one of their responsibilities was to bring more women parliamentarians together to discuss issues experienced by women, including inequality.
Gender activist Nomtusi Mbere said inequality would not exist if gender-based violence could be defeated. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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