Dear Sir,

Today, like so many other days, I pick up the paper and the worst horror jumps out at me. Once again a man has this time threatened a women — threatened to kill her, that is.

This time, he has not beat her. This time, he hasn't introduced her to drugs. This time, he has not sold her. This time, he has not impregnated her and then refused to contribute to his child or, worse yet, ignore that he is the child's father. This time, he has not raped her. This time he has not shot and maimed her, and, yes, this ... this time, he has not killed her.

Men do most of the rape.

Men sell women into slavery — to this day.

Men are paedophiles.

Men make and sell drugs.

Men beat women.

Men kill women and each other.

Men intimidate and threaten women.

Men don't take responsibility for their children.

Men abduct children.

Men form the gangs.

Men ...

When you don't have the guts to hold your temper, desire, your impulses and your needs in check, then you are nothing but a child. All this means is that men need to be the ones to somehow, some way fix this horrific situation.

Yes, women do some of these things, too, but historically it is men who perpetrate these vile acts. Women are nurturers. We pray ... we cry ... we plead ... we fight ... we march ... we get counsel ... we band together …

It is time that the men in this community band together. It is time that men get counsel for their “bros”. It is time for men to do something more than shake their heads with pity or, worse, empathise by saying things such as “what did she do to make him do that?”.

Are you kidding me? As for the comment by the lawyer Charles Richardson — even if she was half-naked and in his face, he should have the power to walk away.

Do something to help. This is a call for men to help their brothers, their friends, their fathers, their colleagues, their acquaintances.

And the men in positions of trust and in “high” places, when you make the derogatory comments that are heard and not heard, and your friends laugh with you, it's like the person that makes a racist joke and the friends feel uncomfortable but say nothing.

Stop it. Show some restraint. We are your mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers. We will always remember what you said.

Get the help from the Government, the private sector, the police, the hospital, the pastors, the doctors, the education department. It could start here.

So many kids make a bad decision to quit school for whatever reason at a young age, with no future ahead of them. I wrote a letter to the Government to ask why it is that young men who quit school and have no money to get a GED, but can go to prison and get one for free.

Is this true? In my humble opinion, there should be a blanket call for anyone, no matter what age, that if they want to get a GED in this country, they can get one. For free.

Bring out your volunteers, tech people and your retired teachers to give these young and old people a leg up.

Fix the problem. Stop it now, you coward.

To all you men who do the right thing, applause, applause, applause.

VENETIA RICHARDSON GRIMES

Southampton