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A South African minister has come below fireplace on social media for telling schoolgirls to “open your books and shut your legs”.
“To the woman little one: Open your books, and shut your legs. Don’t open your legs, open your books. Thanks very a lot,” minister Phophi Ramathuba could be heard telling college students in clips of the video shared broadly on social media.
The scholars could be heard repeating the minister’s phrases within the video.
The well being minister made the remarks on Wednesday throughout a go to to the Gwanane secondary college within the Sekgakgapeng township aimed toward decreasing teenage being pregnant charges and inspiring abstinence, reported the BBC.
Ms Ramathuba mentioned ladies had been being lured by older males into utilizing luxuries like costly wigs and smartphones, mentioned a report by South African information website Occasions LIVE.
“Some younger individuals have contracted HIV/Aids as a result of they’re with older individuals, they need blessers. The smartphone and Brazilian hair they purchased you doesn’t come free of charge, it comes with a illness,” the minister mentioned, searching for a ban on Brazilian hair extensions.
The remarks have sparked outrage on social media as many questioned why the “sufferer blaming” message was directed at ladies.
“ARE YOU SERIOUS? Is that this intercourse schooling by our Authorities? Sufferer Blaming and pushing the narrative? That is disgusting,” mentioned Girls for Change, a gender-based violence NGO in South Africa.
The minister mentioned her message was directed to boys as properly, in response to the report.
“I instructed the boys to deal with their schooling and never sleep with ladies,” the minister claimed.
The ladies later thanked her for calling a spade a spade, she added.
Opposition chief Siviwe Gwarube, nonetheless, mentioned the narrative pushed by the well being minister was “deeply problematic”.
“Shifts duty to woman youngsters to shoulder the burden of protected intercourse practices & rape tradition. It’s garbage,” she mentioned in a tweet, sharing the incident.
Practically 33,400 ladies below the age of 17 in South Africa gave start in 2020, in response to authorities information printed in November that 12 months.
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