NHSA Newsletter
VOL. 15 (18) - 13-09-2019
VICTIMS NO MORE !
Dear NHSA-Lady,
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls.
This international campaign runs from 25 November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), to 10 December (Human Rights Day) annually.
The campaign was initiated in 1991 by the first Women's Global Leadership Institute, held by the Centre for Women's Global Leadership at the Rutgers University in the USA.
It is a travesty that the goals of this campaign, namely to stop violence against women and girls, has become even more important to seriously implement in present day South Africa. This despite the international campaign being run for the past 28 years and being annually honoured in this country.
Recent public marches comprising thousands of women and men focussed on stopping violence against women and girls in Cape Town (4 and 5 September), underscores the serious nature of the prevalence of this kind of crime being perpetrated in this country. With 600,000 people in the same period signing a number of petitions to stop this kind of violence.
But there is another side to this violence against women and girls. That is the constant feeling of women perceiving themselves of being a victim of these crimes (or of possibly going to become a victim). This is a state of mind, in especially some women-folk, which has to end.
One can never close one’s eyes to this kind of crime. But at the same time women-folk can no longer see themselves as just another possible victim just waiting for this kind of violence to be perpetrated against them. When women are trapped in this world of victimhood, they tend to be more aware of how vulnerable they could be. This feeling is a vicious circle which can only end in these women living in constant fear of becoming a victim of these crimes.
In a recent paper, Victim No More, Lynette Oxley writes: “Not being a victim is much more than blind good fortune or being able to defend yourself. It is a choice you make. It is a state of mind. Young girls and women in their twilight years need to make their safety a priority”.
Lynette goes on to write “The GOSA Girls on Fire “I am every Women” campaign aims to empower women emotionally, mentally, and even physically by showing them an alternative to victimhood and by providing them with the means to legally defend themselves, their children and their families against the crime threat that is a reality in South Africa”.
At NHSA we think that our Lady members should take note of what Lynette has to say about the manner in which women can protect themselves against this kind of crime. And at the same time take note of why it is necessary to “take on” or “enter into”, another mind-set of constantly being resistant against these kinds of crimes.
Read Lynette’s realistic and enlightening paper on this issue HERE where she states that: “A firearm coupled with the right mindset is the best way for a woman to protect herself effectively from someone bigger, stronger and meaner ... or from several such miscreants! The police are not there when these crimes are committed – they never can be. The criminal chooses the time and place of the attack, and they choose to attack when there is no obvious protection around.
As equal as people like to think the sexes are, biology defies political correctness. Properly handled, a firearm fundamentally evens the odd, and is a tool that can end a conflict before it erupts into violence”.
We urge our lady members to seriously take note of a reasoned and realistic approach to taking this kind of violence head-on if ever you should become subject to it.
Protect yourselves and be vigilant at all times
Kind regards - Natshoot Office
This is the mind-set we need Ladies !