Kone Gugushe is a ball of positive energy, if I could call an adult a bundle of joy then that’s who she is. Mum, wife, daughter, friend and very busy executive, how does she do it?

RAPE: the crime, typically committed by a man, of forcing another person to have sexual intercourse with the offender against their will.

This crime is made worse when the person committing the crime is the one that is supposed to protect, Where is the escape? How does one move on from here? Is there hope for a normal life after this heinous crime?

We have to speak out, on this issue silence is not golden. Gender-based violence must not be stigmatized. The shame is not that of the victim but the abuser and yet the abuser is without remorse. Gender-based violence is a scourge on society, if one person is affected we are all affected. The occurrence of GBV has increased in recent years, made worse with the lockdown worldwide. This is not limited to a country or race, it cuts across the board and both perpetrators and victims are getting younger. Although this affects both genders, this chat focuses on the female victims.

This was streamed live on my YouTube channel.

I know you mean well but...there are times when love and concern are better shown by not speaking. Times when words and actions tend to scratch places that are already tender. They are unwanted and unwelcome, how do we navigate those instances?

This was initially posted as a video on my YouTube channel last year. I have edited it slightly but the main message has not changed.

I find that women are not as tolerant of each other as we should be, we disregard, belittle of just ignore the very thing that makes us different from men - our display of emotions. When we bruise other women emotionally we are all the less for it.