The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) Men’s Sector and the Brothers for Life Campaign add our voices to the millions worldwide who have expressed shock and dismay at the abduction of over 200 girls in Nigeria by Boko Haram, and the less than adequate responses by the Nigerian government and the global community to date.
We find this act abominable in the extreme. This cruel act is another indication of how the system of patriarchy continues to give men a sense of power that sees women and girls as tools for use as they wish in their ‘power’ struggles. We join Mama Graca Machel’s and others’ call to world leaders to expend the same amount of energy and resources as were deployed in the search for the missing Malaysian plane.
We affirm the call by the Executive Director of UNWomen, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka that the entire UN system must support all efforts to find these girls and ensure that they are brought back home safe and sound.
As part of the MenEngage Alliance, a coalition of boys and men working to engage men in promoting gender equality and women’s rights, we urge men to take a more vocal role in these efforts. It is time for all of us to stand together. The mothers have promised more protests in the days and weeks to come. Men need to show up too. If there is a protest outside of the Nigerian consulate in your country, get there. These are children who were simply trying to learn and they need to be returned home to their families – their mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers.
To date, protests have taken place in Abuja, Washington DC, New York, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London, and many other cities. More are being confirmed on a daily basis. We urge South Africans to join protest actions where they live.
According to South Africa’s activist Rosie Motene “We’re tired of the rest of the world being silent about such an important issue. When it happened in Congo, we didn’t step up to the plate. It’s important to understand that this isn’t just a Nigerian issue - it’s a terrorism issue. It could happen anywhere in the world. It happened to Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan, who was shot in the head for pursuing an education, and now it’s happened in Nigeria. It’s also important to stress that Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation, not an Islamist one – this is NOT the way of Islam.”
The SANAC Men’s Sector and the Brothers for Life Campaign in South Africa are appealing to all men of Nigeria and those outside of Nigeria to take a stand against violence against women and children. There are good men out there who can add value to this campaign so that we can bring back our children and ensure that all Boko Haram criminals are brought to book.
According to Rev Bafana Khumalo, national chairperson of the SANAC Men’s sector in South Africa, “We pledge our solidarity with the mothers and fathers of these girls and all mothers and parents who are aggrieved by this incidence. As a man I feel strongly that we should speak out against such dastardly acts. We must call on the leaders of the African Union Commission and all leaders in the region to speak out and show our solidarity with these girls and their parents.”
We also call on our government to provide all the necessary support to the Nigerian government in its quest to find the girls and bring them back home safely. As South Africans we remain in solidarity with our Nigerian counterparts, especially the parents of the abducted girls.
Enquiries:
Rev Bafana Khumalo
Cell: 084 8177716 / 082 5784479
