Teaching Boys Respect Is Key To Ending Gender Violence: Gwarube

The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has emphasized that one of the most effective ways to combat violence against women and children is to teach boys from an early age about respect and the treatment of women.

She was speaking on the importance of developing the young boy child as a catalyst for social change at the Uyinene Mrwetyana Commemorative Lecture at Kingswood College in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, on Monday.

This comes in the wake of growing calls for justice in cases such as that of 7-year-old girl who was allegedly raped in a private school in Matatiele.

Gwarube says change starts in society. "Its actually incredibly important because I think for the longest time theres been a misconception that somehow when we talking about violence against women and children in particular, this is a message that should be directed at children and women, when in fact, they are not the perpetrators of violence, they are not the ones who are impeding violence upon themselves, and so if we are going to really see change, its not just change thats going to come from government. It has to be a societal change."