Social media can be a powerful weapon against sexual violence. I mean men land how to be calm. Now all around the weld the club in 1000. 00 crisis caused a dramatic increase in Domestic Abuse cases in south africa however when these claim that reported cases fell substantially some have link this to the countrys ban on alcohol lets take a deeper look. You know alexandra outside johannesburg for activists from gun free south africa a lobby in full fewer firearms and ill call sales around 7 woman murdered each day in south africa and femicide violence against women has been declared a National Crisis the ban on alcohol has made the streets safer believes mariam not valid and much of the alcohol doesnt make people do things it gives them because to do things and i think a lot of people can agree with that the 3 of us when we were walking down to the school we didnt do a bunch of men and they didnt even look at us funny will make us feel uncomfortable and so i think those are the type of changes that i hear and i think especially for young women thats something weve been longing to see in response to the covert 1000 pandemics that got much totally banned alcohol sales reported crime rates fell Domestic Violence drug significantly murder went down by 70 percent as did Emergency Hospital admissions however helplines reports of the officers there has been an explosion in coal seeking help regarding gender based violence and alcohol abuse is a huge problem in south africa. We thank you trace this time im going to. The controversial gabala church and southern johannesburg is comprised of an old those who claim drinking is a sacred activity we are losing and. Knows that we have you ever found our lord is sick and oh no you dont want me to run. Pulling im cool or should be an informal bomb and does not believe ill call abuse drives violence in south africa. Had thought before. I dont believe its because of. This. If someone is planning to do something they will do it and that at all no it. Yes i dont know why because. You are only. Making in the. Same. Household sales of big business in south africa the local industry claims 117000 jobs have already been lost due to the fact entrepreneur. Is south africas 1st black female brewery owner shes invested about a 1000000 euros into her machinery limiting the old coal industry will not solve south africas social ills. Even something coming out of the locked on that is an industry where we need to spend more effort on educate more about the dangers of abuse and promote more moderate drinking you know which would. Would would minimize some of this social ease that we can. While the gun free south africa activists dont support a total ban on alcohol they certainly welcome restrictions on liquor sales. I think it really is just bringing a change and making us more comfortable making us feel more safe making us feel like i can actually really. Well and alcohol ban may have affected Violent Crime statistics many remain skeptical of whether these numbers reflect the actual reality of violence against women in south africa. Sadly violence against women is widespread in many african societies on our Facebook Page d. W. Africa we asked you guys to tell us how deep the sexual on gender based violence is rooted in your society now lets go check out some of these comments my re louise from konar creek says the authorities are trying their best to fight such crimes but social pressure and prejudice often defeats families who prefer to keep quiet or drop the charges of a comment from laos she from nigeria says they rip culture nigeria has been perpetrated for too long its evolution against women and Law Enforcement must do more to end these atrocities thank you guys for sharing your thoughts with us i nigeria where men have had enough and we sent a wave of sexual and gender based violence against young women let to protest again on the streets and via social media in our street debate reporter can money talks to activist in nigerias capital abuja about how social media can be used to fight sexual violence. In the me too Movement Began online it started what cannot and will not be stopped a conversation about sexual and gender based violence that movement mushroomed across many parts of the world including right here in nigeria well today raina bludger and were trying to find out just how effective is social media in the fight against sexual and gender based violence and you know john i want to begin with the lady who actually started a movement here called arrow on me to our own meaning the northen part of nigeria for korea how did it feel when you started this hashed out what inspired you to do it and what was the impact immediately a young girl. Came on twitter and she she opened up about her experience of abuse 2 years ago and for me it was just a tweet made out of silly diary but i didnt know it was going to open up you know a can of worms because what it turned out to be was that people found a safe space in the hash tag so this is sort of the work that youre doing in the north looking at investigating but to clearly gender rules to what effect has cultural contributed to what were hearing here we have this culture of shyness you know its kind of like get it in things you dont talk about the feel like its immoral to talk about sex talk about you know how to handle yourself how to protect yourselves i was in Rural Communities and communities so i used to believe that you know those people because they dont have access to education thats why you know mostly victims of this but then dario i meet a Movement Just open my eyes to the fact that even the most educated of us in the society also going through the same things so lets take a step back using that social media opened up the voices of the people who are otherwise silenced mariyam away so is very popular now in the global scene she was arrested because of her complaint especially because of the so how bad is a problem nigeria people are willing to go above and beyond to silence those who dare to you know rebel to change the norm so theres a lot of danger i guess in doing that personal and otherwise apart from the online attacks who you know that are just never ending Death Threats so yeah you could get arrested while the rapist may not there are people there in a panic get raped rush rush into a Police Station and the kind of reception they get you know its its another form of trauma right i was in a Police Station with miners who were raped and the police said she was a suspect and they were dragging her telling her to take her shoes and they were going to put her in solitary confinement if i. Get raped god forbid theres no way im going to go to the Police Station and id rather come on social media so obviously by no standards does it sound ok and i was reading that right here you know there were women who were collected taken to the Police Station on suspicion of being prostitutes and some of them came up with stories of being raped and your Police Superintendent said well women are not supposed to be out in the streets anyway how are women supposed to trust you when this sort of behavior has been perpetuated by police officers. Yeah well. Weve had. Several complaints right now we have agenda desk they have been going for special training how to receive such cases but thats in me. Now lets go back to. Even to social you know until today because. Maybe 14. Who does she go to she doesnt exists so she goes home price to home present. Wife. To get married if you do that its quite even if you talk to. Any confirmations of people whove been arrested whove lost their jobs as a result of this movement the person that i outed as a rapist got you know sacked from his job as far as im concerned that is a consequence that you cannot go anywhere that men are being forced to say oh my god im hanging out with this girl today im i going to wake up to a hash tag im i going to be unable to show my face in the mosque and that is a consequence that has to start somewhere but obviously there are limitations to social media and id like to hear from a gentleman because i often hear men see that theyre now scared what happens if a woman makes an allegation about him online and theres no evidence to support it i guess some people do feel that because of the lifestyles they need and because of grey areas. And consent and how we communicated sometimes they do feel that through it i suppose but speaking about the limitations of social media certain people in society here believe that social media is not to be trusted the internet is genuinely a space to be treated with some level of course i want to come to the officer because this challenge is directly affect your work you know when somebody comes and says this is the claim that i made how do you go about collecting evidence when the situation has started online thats why i wanted to mention to them the movement is ok but i would advise they get a lawyer you mean to tell me that if i come to a Police Station and i tell you that my husband has beat me up youll send me to find a lawyer yeah i would invite a husband is it a habit is it a one time affair why should that matter thats what we said back to cultural we like it or not when nigeria look at me straight im trying to accomplish from him you see is that you mr hope thats one report right so we believe no we have to hear from him. And see if the evidence is witnesses on everything we can work on thats why i want to understand the social media not every brought out there is actually true so as a rule of thumb you do not believe the victim unless theyre witnesses and often gender based violence happens in isolation they usually no witnesses on any kind of crime the 1st one is the confessional the 1st one everyone we have to go around and find out how and why when and we are ok i really want to talk about solutions what needs to be done even from 2 went down to an individuals level. So the conversation as shown as the limitations of social media which is that it can highlight a problem but you need systems to prosecute but when people know that when they commit a crime they can get away with it because prosecution rates a really low so you understand that this is a reflection of a broken system we have to be able to you know understand the gaps that exist in our society and beyond awareness and you know beyond the laws you know they need to be implemented for them to work thank you so much i have to admit that it has been very tough very very tough the things that was said here were not expected but im glad that were winding up to the sound of the maghreb in the background hopefully the prayers will cleanse over our societies so that we can speak of something much lighter and much better thank you for watching from a buddha. A well that was definitely an intense and revealing debate thanks to all the brave women for speaking out and sharing their personal stories with us now if you want to watch the longer version of the debates just visit you tube channel we men are responsible for this culture of silence so its odd duty to help break the cycle we must encourage victims of rape to report crimes and seek justice so criminals can be convicted. Now if youve been a respect im wondering how to deal with it and we our very own sex relationship experts have some advice for you. Hello there and welcome to the spread a safe space where we get to discuss everything sex and relationships for those of you that have been following us and sending us in your emails bombs up to you remember if you have a question please feel free to send us an email at the email address provided below todays episode is a little bit sensitive and i do urge that if you do want to share your opinion please be kind and sensitive our email today comes from lola and it reads cat as i write this email with tears in my eyes as i have no idea what to do about a year ago i went to a party with some friends we had a few too many drinks and i vaguely remember one of my close guy friends trying to take advantage of my situation cut to the next morning i wake up and hes sleeping next to me theres blood on the sheets and im sure he took advantage of me as i slept. I did nothing about it at the time but its eating me now and i want him to pay for causing so much trauma in my life this year what should i do its these conversations that cause me so much anger and grief and i really hate that its something that you have to deal with conversations around consent are still going over the heads of so many men its disgusting do better but anyway lets focus on you so 1st things 1st youre going to have to report it at the Police Station closest to where the incident happened in kenya for example there are spaces that are run by women inside the Police Station that are created specifically to make women feel safe your next step is to contact a lawyer who specifically deals with gender based violence if you google some of the law firms in your area you should be able to find somebody who is even willing to take your case on pro bono your lawyer will then advise you on the best way forward keep in mind youre going to have to keep recounting this incident over and over so i urge muster all the courage that you can because youre going to need it for this phase which brings me to my next point therapy its so easy for us to get lost in the myriad of thoughts that could be unsafe and even cause harm you need an unbiased voice of reason thats going to guide you through this difficult time especially if you feel it might get too much a professional is a perfect person to create support and safety and you are doing great your courage is helping so many people who are going through similar situation and we wish you the best Going Forward and know this we support you and we stand by you and finally a warning to the perpetrators of these heinous crimes rape is about power and control and is never justifiable under any circumstances you will be found and justice will be so stop raping women stop sexually abusing women lets make this world a better place and dont be a part of the problem from me kaz stay safe. Thank you cause for useful information man have a huge rule to help make this world a better place now talking about the rule of men lets take you to where some men are heading back to school by the subject its not about School Grades its about how to become a better husband. These 52 men find themselves in a school class but once again but this time its a little different this is a has been squeezed. Just of pediatrics as the men how to become better husbands today and while the subject to domestic grip and violence is not ready to be in sierra leone just a few diaz motivation to run this has been screwed in a very personal. It why so one was ripped he said of the. Support. He will need support to. Protect the all around. Limited had that. Or. A course on how to become a good husband takes about half a year with 3 sessions per month and the message seems to get a quote. Of well no. Mistakes. Its the 1st session and just have pedia direct a role playing session the idea men put themselves in their wives shoes around 200000 women were victims of gender based violence during Syrian Civil War from 1002 want to 2002 in 29 to president martyr bill declared read a National Emergency after a young girl became paralyzed after being raped idiot believes the mens behavior is a consequence of these countries violent past. Thats. Are you sure that somebody took you somebody is a mine. But do classes like these actually affect the relationships in families. But in the hospital strong 2 years ago. This woman and i used to. Be parents i used to brave the children of food i had had them at the time i joined the Husband School training. Has been school hadnt come here my husband would still use violence against me and our charges. Unlike cities days lose had access to radio stations newspapers or Television Improvement sierra leone instate information finds its way through engaging directly with the community. Which i do believe that its possible for all values and we are talking about. A move to the. Big young. Man we live in a Community Free from. 42 has been school. Believes changing the mindset of future generations with changing the mindset of mind. Schools dedicated to making men better. I think thats a beautiful concept because clearly what men do not understand the huge responsibility it is to be a husband we have to learn to be better. Now that that im sure has settled in there i want to introduce you to cab driver lee at the age of 5 she and her family left her hometown hargeisa and moved to canada but cover a always new one day she will return home and she did as a manager of high have in somaliland capital gazer cabdriver is empowering women and young entrepreneurs this. My name is ali i was born here and had a son and i left here when i was 5 years old. By the time we left we were told like dont forget where you come from the only kind of temporary you going to come back. So i was one of those kids who would have been my vision board right. Going to go back and do great things there i always kind of knew thats what im. When i was in canada i remember growing up having multiple identities being muslim. Being female and the spaces that i was entering whether it was the mosque. The school or just that whole i felt like each one of those spaces kind of. Didnt consider my experience few years ago and saw an impact and so this was kind of my dream i was really interested in what they were doing and whats a few conferences have certain expectations where before it was this is where youre from your carrier and i really got passionate about space. To help manage her head and. Her friend started. To look for grounds a lot of our Digital Design Academy was in the main location young people get to learn physical Design Skills like Graphic DesignMotion Graphics and coding were happy to host them in this space i mean this space was really with them in mind im so phil and this kind of role working. Working. In a hub like this where dynamic never get bored i love that connecting to so many sectors in terms of like creating more employment giving more attention and access to finance for having a fun especially for young women and i know i often get the womens new mistakes a lot of people are more encouraged by that and im hoping i will create policies or an environment that really does work for. What i would advise anyone to. Return back to their country. Be open minded and all that hard work youre putting it into here as i see it 10 times i believe. What im inspiring story i think its always great to have members of the diaspora investing in developmental projects. And hey guys sadly were already come to the end of the show but hey lets keep the fight for Women Empowerment going you can hit me up on twitter eddie mike or just send a mail to 77 a d w dot com its always lovely to hear from you and it seems only fitting to end this episode with the powerful female voice maybe a single songwriter shani it has song minority she pleads for equal rights for all people regardless of religion gender sexuality or skin color goodbye for me but over to you society. Many. I dont keep them of my main focus. Through. The big game. You know im wrong. Probably but. They are in the game you want to. Believe. A big statement maybe you can change the way im feeling. To let me tell me something funny what. Almost seem. To me. To. Mobility in the age of corona has the pandemic changed the way we. Must be faceless one for us to get from point a to point b. The fight scene trains the company. And the joy being taken out of transportation. The 4th can it still be fun on the road during hard times read. 30 minutes john w. Armstrong really walk on the moon. Isnt the earth really was how strong. The government planes turned. Conspiracy theories spread like wildfire on the internet. Here and on the cars of small groups who shout louder than honest and profit from a lack of interest among reasonable people. Just as. In some conspiracy theories can provide comfort you dont like reality create another for. A film about knowledge and belief trust and deception democracy of the gullible starts july 1st on g. W. Has a virus spread. Why do we panic and when will all of this. Just 3 of the topics covered in the weekly radio show is called spectrum if you would like and information on the crown of virus or any other science topic you should really check out our podcast you can get it wherever you get your podcast you can also find us at dot com slash science. On meal time did not complete the 2nd season on the french system back environment still about society and its still about us with all the planets on the brink we spoke to several leading i suppose im afraid. Thank. You. This is news a line from berlin superstars turn up the volume to healthy you raise billions in coronavirus a. Little help from its walks french speaking add some 6000000000 more euros to help the search for. Also coming up brazils coronavirus cases surged past 1000000 while the countrys leader refuses to wear