Media Statement

12 June 2024

For immediate release

Redefining Fatherhood for the Youth in South Africa

Cape Town, June 11, 2024 — As South Africa prepares to celebrate Father’s Day on June 16, this year, coinciding with Youth Day, a day when South Africa commemorates the Soweto Uprising of 1976. This unique overlap presents an opportunity to reflect on the role of fathers in guiding and mentoring the youth in a country burdened by generational traumas by confronting and challenging the negative stereotypes about fatherhood and masculinity that persist.  What and When?

Positive fatherhood is crucial for the well-being of children and the health of the family unit. Attributing fatherhood to ‘provide and protect’ limits the ways in which fathers should deepen their involvement in their children's lives.  Engaged and responsible fathers and caregivers foster healthy relationships, enriching parental bonds that are free of toxic ideas about masculinity. In an unequal society such as South Africa, where violence against women and children remain alarmingly high, men must be concerned with how they show up in their relationships, homes and communities in manners that models masculinity not as source of violence. Why?

According to the 2021 South Africa’s Fathers report by Sonke Gender Justice, 61% of men live with children, showing a significant number of men physically present in households and reshaping the narrative of the absent father. ‘The family unit has always been important to children’s development and the overall family wellbeing. While its commendable that men are physically present, how they are present becomes more important as this intersects with the prevalence of domestic violence’ says Adv Tarisai Mchuchu-MacMillan, Executive Director of MOSAIC.

Men’s roles as fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers is key to unlocking gender inequality and the urgency to redefine fatherhood requires a mental shift and unlearning of gender norms that do not serve the unity of the home and especially not women.  Programmes like the MenEngage Alliance’s "Engaging Men and Boys" are platforms for men and boys to learn, unlearn, and relearn how to be positive human beings and strengthen bonds in their communities.  How?

As South Africa remembers the students of 1976 and honors fathers this June 16, let us acknowledge men’s positive contributions but call on more men to model healthy and gender-positive ways of what it truly means to be a man and a father.

ENDS

Editors Notes

Sonke Gender Justice, 2021 South Africa’s Fathers report

For more information, please contact:

Sinelizwi Ncaluka: Communications and Stakeholder Relations Coordinator

E: sinelizwi@mosaic.org.za

T: +27 066 269 0629 (Calls and Messaging)

About MOSAIC

MOSAIC Training, Service & Healing Centre (MOSAIC) is an African-feminist, community-based NGO that prevents and reduces abuse and domestic violence. We achieve this through holistic and integrated first responder services when incidents occur, supporting people through healing and rebuilding their lives following a traumatic event, and collectively advocating for system change to ensure universal access to care, support and justice since 1993. MOSAIC creates an enabling environment through our holistic and integrated five-pillar service model

• Access to justice
• Support and Healing
• Economic Empowerment
• Gender Equality & Safety
• Systems change & Strengthening

The organisation was established in 1993 in response to high levels of violence against women in South Africa, particularly in the form of domestic violence, and in recognition of the silence that many women suffer in unnecessarily, due to either a lack of knowledge of their rights, a lack of confidence to access justice for themselves, or both. MOSAIC's registered head office is in Cape Town, South Africa. For further information about MOSAIC, please visit www.mosaic.org.za