Minister Nzimande to host Transforming MENtalities Summit

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, will be hosting the Inaugural Transforming MENtalities Summit, which is aimed at engaging men and boys to address the root causes of violence against women.

The Transforming MENtalities Summit is based on UNESCO’s Transforming MENtalities Initiative launched in 2015 in Latin America and the Caribbean and later spread to a number of other countries. 

The aim of this multistakeholder campaign and partnership is to champion a world free of gender biases, stereotypes, violence and discrimination, by changing cultural and societal norms through policies, advocacy and capacity-building initiatives.

A 2013 United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence reveals that 10% to 62% of all interviewed men reported having raped a woman or girl in their lifetime. In some places, more than 75% of women aged 15 to 24 thinks that there are conditions under which a man has rightful reasons to beat his wife. Socialization processes are intrinsically linked to structural gender inequalities: violence, aggressiveness and sexual entitlement are too often considered as appropriate expressions of “how to act like a man” in different societies.

According to  the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2013, the lifetime risk of experiencing GBV for South African women is 45.6%; well above the global average of 35%. Furthermore,  UNICEF states that sexual gender-based violence and intimate partner violence are amongst the most prevalent forms of GBV affecting young women aged 16-25 years as they are vulnerable.

The Summit is hosted by HIGHER HEALTH and the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) on behalf of the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Science and Innovation.

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 29 August 2023

Time: 08h30 to 16h30

Venue: Birchwood Conference Centre, Ekurhuleni

Important Times to Note:

At 13h00:

Keynote Address by Minister Dr Blade Nzimande.

At 14h00:

Minister Dr Blade Nzimande will be joined by Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities of South Africa, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma; Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu; real GBV survivors; and peer educators for a panel discussion.

For RSVP:

Mr Nashveer Nemesar

(Communications and Events Manager: Higher Health)

066 258 8714

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Enquiries:

Issued by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

Building 53, CSIR Campus

Meiring Naudé Road

Brummeria

Pretoria

Enquiries: Ishmael Mnisi at 066 037 8859 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..