WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES.

As I scrolled on this professional app, I found a rather interesting post from Triple C Advisory. The picture with the #Genderbasedviolence was a throwback event that took place in Uganda. The men who donned different types of heels were part of the "Walk a mile in her shoes" march which is an International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. Since 2001 men have been joining the march which is a platform that provides a dramatic opportunity to raise awareness in your community about the serious causes, effects, and remediations of men's sexualized violence.

Gender-Based Violence is any act that results in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life perpetrated against a person based on socially-ascribed (gender) differences between males and females. One in three women in Sub-Saharan Africa are victims of Gender-based violence and according to the Gender, Violence and recovery Centre Ke (GVRC), the violence perpetrated against women is significantly associated with place of residence, witnessing parental violence, substance abuse, marital status, education status and financial status. With this statistic in mind, it is a joy for me, a 22-year-old African woman to not only be aware of the Walk a mile in her shoes organisation. It is exhilarating to learn not only of the excellent work that they are doing but to also read of the exorbitant amount of support that the men in the country put out in a quest to end GBV in Uganda. This is most definitely a moment of triumph in 2020 where the GBV cases stored because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The march by Ugandan men for Ugandan women is a bold statement, an act of solidarity a stance against Gender-Based Violence and a tap or blow on toxic masculinity when it comes to addressing the issue in their camp. It is a leaf that we can all borrow as we get into the new year, to stand against and address any wrong even if it means going against the grain.