365 days of activism against all abuse

KNYSNA NEWS - Famsa is fully aware of the extremely negative situation around abuse.

"We focus on addressing all forms of abuse – not only against women and children but also against men, the elderly, disabled, etc – for 365 days a year.

"While we acknowledge and commend the efforts to create awareness during the 16 Days of Activism, we would encourage people to seek assistance as soon as possible when they become aware of a situation.

"Unfortunately, statistics tell us that women and children are by far the worst off, yet we also need to address abuse directed at any person or animal."

Statistics also show that family violence becomes a learned behaviour. It is estimated that of the children who witness violence in the home:

• 50% of the girls become victims;

• 60% of the boys will become batterers;

• 80% of those in prison grew up in violent homes;

• Sons who witness abuse are 10 times more likely to abuse their partners; and

• 63% of youths aged 11 to 20, who commit murder, kill the men who abused their mothers.

There are several different types of violence and abuse. The following are a few of the more common ones:

• Physical abuse – kicking, beating, punching (all intended to harm the body).

• Emotional abuse – calling a person bad names, e.g. "stupid", "useless", "ugly" (intended to hurt the person’s feelings).

• Sexual abuse – forcing oneself on somebody without her/his consent, e.g. rape (in and out of marriage) or forcing them to observe or perform sexual acts against their will.

• Economic/financial abuse – controlling everything regarding money (the partner has no say in money matters or may have no access to money).

"We deal with abuse and domestic violence throughout the year by presenting training programmes and workshops and through counselling. We also run two programmes that address many of the issues around abuse – the Wow (Women of Worth) and Men’s programmes. Our parenting programmes help parents to be the best they can be – this is our very serious investment in the lives of children in our communities."

* Anyone who is experiencing problems as a result of abuse and violence is encouraged to contact Famsa Knysna on 044 382 5129 and Plettenberg Bay on 044 533 0515.