LIVING IN SILENCE

Silence it's a pollution through the mindset of many women, many of them believe that being silent would solve the challenges that they face behind the walls of their homes.Trying to protect their image and also thinking what would the neighbours say about their situation of being abused. Yes there are organisation which offer the platform,the help to every woman and they work hard to assist, striving for women's rights then at the end less action from the community.Being silent affects the whole nation especially our future leaders, they grow up believing that there are situations which can't be brought up like violence in their homes and that as a women you must be persistant or have to stay in a marriage nomatter what(Umfazi uyabekezela) I am refering to a real story which occured on the 14 April 2009 about a women who was strungled, suffocated until her last breath on earth by her husband then the husband hanged himself and also died. She was staying near where I live, she was a beautiful, respectable, quite and always greets you with a smile. Who ever thought that she was in an abusive marriage and always lived with fear of being killed by her spouse which at the end it happened.The husband was on and off sometimes cames back home late& drunk or not sleep at home for months, when he comes back he would physically abuse the women on top of emotionally abusing her while his gone.She told her family about every situation for comfort but never went out to find valid help from any women's organisations or maybe becouse of lack of information or again she believed everything will be alright at the end.Silence gave her death which shows that there should be more organisations implemented at each location(Kagiso,soweto, Randfontein,etc) which will create more job for social workers, psycologists, activists, ect in order to make awareness that silence kills&as a woman we should start standing up for our rights, don't let fear be the factor of our life. The other issue it's we as youth we are also contaminated by the abuse sometimes it makes us strong or weak, it depends if you were given any attention or help after experiancing trauma from your mother being abused or killed.That why you find other girl child growing up accepting the abuse or boy child abusing, it's becouse of the root from the seed which was planted in their minds and hearts.I personaly believe that children must be protected, groomed with care especially with love. They say in Zulu:" induku igotswa isemanzi", so by teaching and giving direction to the young ones we are building a better tomorrow.A mind of small child it's like a blank chalkboard whatever you do or say it's like writing on it and it's never erased, they grow up believing on what was written in their chalkboards.Growing up witnessing abuse from home it forms fear, anger, hatred, not believing in hope and not knowing who/what to trust ending up being insecure in every situation.So silence kills us as youth(the nation) we need our mothers to speak up, face challenges by going out to seek help and should not tolarate any form of abuse for the sake of their children & for their safety... All in all I would like to say may the soul of mama kamaMasego rest in peace.