CONTACT Family Counselling Centre will today host this year’s commemorations of the Day of Prevention of Child Abuse as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign at Mbonqane Primary School in Umguza. PATIENCE RATAMBWA OWN CORRESPONDENT
The organisation focuses mostly on the prevention and creation of awareness on child sexual abuse and aims at working mainly with schools so that their message spreads to all parts of the community.
The Mbonqane community, Umguza district and some Bulilima wards close to the area are expected to attend the commemorations as government departments will be represented. Community leaders and elders from the district are also expected to attend.
The commemorations of the Day of Prevention of Child Abuse are held annually on November 19, but have been postponed this year because of the clashes with the school calendar. 
An official from Contact Family Counselling, Mthandazo Maphosa, said these commemorations help in raising awareness of the ills associated with violence and aim to encourage people to speak out on violence to eradicate it.
“We want to urge all people to speak out on child abuse, especially now that we are working on the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence,” she said.
“As a result, we moved these commemorations to November 27 so that we gain full attendance from students, teachers and the whole community without disturbing anything.”
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, an international campaign, start from November 25 to December 10 annually.
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It will run with the theme “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Gender-based Violence!”.
Each year, the campaign provides assembling points for governments, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders in the country to increase events aimed at raising awareness, influencing behaviour change and securing high level political commitment to end gender violence.
The campaign runs concurrently with the International Day of No Violence against Women on November 25, World Aids Day on December 1, International Day for the Disabled on December 3 and Human Rights Day on December 10.
