Issue 1

Issue 1

My name is Faustin Ntiranyibagira. I am 36 years old and I married my wife Leonie in 1996. We have three children – a girl and two boys – and I am Burundian.

Growing up, my family was very poor. My father was often drunk, and when he returned home singing in the evening, we would hide to avoid the arguments he had with my mother. She feared my father and his beatings.

In spite of my father’s behavior, I envied him. I saw him as a supreme authority – a “president” in his household – because everybody in our house trembled when he spoke. I told myself that one day I would get married so that I could give orders too.

This strong desire pushed me to start my family at a young age. My wife was young and beautiful when we married, but a life of strenuous chores awaited her: she ploughed fields all day long; she was responsible for all of the household activities, and on top of it all, I abused her. Indeed I followed my father's example.

By Nelson Banda

Doctor Chivunga, a grade nine pupil at Chongwe Basic School, 45km east of Lusaka, has urged the government to toughen the punishment of perpetrators of sexual violence against children.

By Tapiwa Manyati

From 7-9 September, Sonke’s three delegates, Tim Shand, Desmond Lesejane and Tapiwa Manyati participated in a meeting held by The UN Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund). This three-day workshop in New York was on evidence-based programming, programme design and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation for organizations funded by the UN Trust Fund and for UN Women staff members.

by Tapiwa Manyati

A total of 65 participants from across Africa attended the MenEngage Africa Regional Planning meeting. The meeting was held in Uganda, Kampala from 14 – 16 September 2011, and involved 13 MenEngage Africa country networks.

On the 10th of December 2011, a group of men will take to the streets in a bid to demonstrate against discrimination and violence particularly against women and girls. This will be the third consecutive year in which the event takes place. In Mozambique, it is a well-known fact that most of the violence that takes place, both in the public and domestic spheres, is perpetrated by men. In the first half of 2010 about 8000 women reported different forms of abuse by their partners to the police. Studies conducted elsewhere however show that gender-based violence is underreported an that the real numbers are probably far higher. Also, almost all of the violent crime in the streets is committed by young men and consequently almost 95% of imprisoned population in Mozambique are young men.

MenEngage Africa Training Initiative

by Charity T. Mpofu & Tapiwa Manyati

The MenEngage Africa Network is establishing the MenEngage Africa Training Initiative (MATI) and the first ever regional training initiative on engaging men and boys for gender equality within Africa is scheduled for early 2012.

By Lucinda van den Heever

The Learning Centre Initiative is a new partnership between the Swedish Association of Sexuality Education (RFSU) and Sonke Gender Justice. These partners are working to support the project sites Reproductive Health Uganda, based in Hoima, and Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia based in Choma, to develop their work to engage men and boys for sexual and reproductive health.