Sunday 8 July 2018

Men's month is a time for #Gauteng men to open up

We have often heard about and celebrated women's months in past years, neh.

Now men in Gauteng have been given the platform to make their voices heard. And what's more tantalizing is that a whole month has been set aside for men in the province.

Its simply being called "Men's Month".

The Gauteng government launched the much needed "Men's Month" campaign on Friday. The campaign aims to engage with men on current issues facing them, starting with a visit to hostels in Mohlakeng, Randfontein.

"The campaign is an initiative of the [Gauteng Provincial Legislature] GPL's Men's Forum, which was established in 2017 to tackle challenges facing the modern man in the home, work and society at large," the legislature said in a statement. "The forum recognises men as critical partners and role players in advocating gender equality."

Among the activities scheduled for the month are a visit to Boy's Town in Baviaanspoort, and a visit to the Johannesburg Female Correctional Centre.

The forum hopes to talk to both men and women about gender relations, as well as what it means to be a "responsible man".

The group also wants to encourage men to talk openly to "their fellow brothers" about any issues they might have.

Furthermore, it wants to hold discussions to demystify misconceptions about gender equality, call on men, "as partners, to take a stand and fight patriarchal values that lead to violence against women and children" - as well as to promote "open dialogue about economic/ financial instabilities that cause men to be insecure/ violent".