ADVERTISEMENT

Men in South Africa march against abuse of women

A social media campaign dubbed #MenAreTrash followed the murder of a young woman and a child. So men marched in Pretoria to denounce domestic violence, which is among the highest in the world.

___6718435___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___6718435___2017___5___22___15___file6v1jmvg389ubdy01kl

Men in South Africa have taken to the streets to march against violence perpetrated towards women and children in the country.

The protesters, in their hundreds, marched through principal streets in the capital, Pretoria, carrying placards that denounced gender-based violence.

The marchers were however led symbolically by a woman, who was clad in a white dress with her body also painted white.

ADVERTISEMENT

The march follows a string of murders that have sent shock waves in the country. In one case, a 22-year-old woman was found dead days after she went missing. Her body had been severely burnt with acid and her boyfriend has been arrested charged with her murder. In a separate case, a three-year-old girl was abducted from her home, raped and killed.

These incidents sparked a social media campaign dubbed #MenAreTrash by many female social media users. With this march, men in South Africa were hoping to send a message to women that said men are not trash, and that there are indeed decent and responsible men in the country.

One of the organisers of the march, Kholofelo Masha, told the BBC "the time to take collective responsibility for our shameful action is now…You hear a lady screaming next door, you decide to sleep when you know there is a problem. No man should beat a woman or rape a woman while you're watching."

Violence against women in South Africa is among some of the highest in the world. According to the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey in South Africa, one in five women are abused by their lovers and over 40,000 rapes are reported annually.

ADVERTISEMENT

A Ghanaian woman has been missing in South Africa since March 2017 where she had gone to celebrate her wedding anniversary.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh

ADVERTISEMENT