Gender-based violence in SA: the new terror, the new normal

No country exists free of violence, whether moderate or severe, and SA is no exception – hence, it is customarily referred to as having a ‘culture of violence’. SA is also widely known for its scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, to the extent that it is notorious for being one of the most unsafe places in the world to be a womxn.

Statistically, SA is ranked 38th out of 163 of the most violent countries in the world. Given this violent culture, SA has become a terror for womxn and children because of its high levels of GBV and other related issues, which are commonly making news headlines. This scourge threatens the very existence of its citizens, particularly womxn, children and the LGBTQ+ community. It has one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence, where rape and sexual violence have become the order of the day. Womxn, young girls and children in our country die at the hands of men every day – abused, assaulted, harassed and murdered.

As a country, we are at the mercy of this calamity – it penetrates and impinges on every facet and fabric of our society. For this crucial reason, we need to come together as communities and end this entrenched crisis.

Institutions of higher education are a playground for GBV incidents

Incidents of GBV are increasing at a concerning rate in and around SA institutions of higher education – they have, to a large extent, become playing fields for this scourge. The increasing pervasiveness of such incidents is a worrying factor, especially because evidence points out that cases of rape and related issues are underreported in SA universities. We are therefore urged to make an intensive effort to eliminate this plight from our universities because GBV threatens and undermines the principles and laws that uphold human dignity and human rights as articulated in the constitution.

More so, a number of survivors of GBV have experienced depression and many others committed suicide because of it. Several other students have left these institutions without completing their studies, consequently threatening the development of a skilled workforce and sound youth in the country. It is ironic that a large number of incidents of GBV occur in the very institutions of higher education that are supposed to teach and instil principles of respect for human rights for all.

Institutions, therefore, need to rethink all related policies and mechanisms set up to address and prevent incidents of GBV.

Way forward?

The scourge of gender-based violence has become somewhat of a normalised phenomenon in our society, where South Africans witness and read about it three hours of every day. This normative nature of GBV has become evident in how all womxn are feeling less and less safe each day, both in public and in their homes. Second, it has become evident in the ruthless nature of the rape and murder incidents reported each day, and lastly in the lack of accountability of individuals (the perpetrators) and society at large for this scourge.

The time has therefore come for all South Africans to rethink how we can deal with this current reality for the safety of womxn, young girls and children and for the progress and prosperity of the country. The complexity of this phenomenon requires multifaceted strategies and responses from all institutions and every citizen of SA. In addition, it has become evident that SA that lacks a culture of accountability and consequences for perpetrators of violence.

Therefore, SA needs to start by being a country that accounts for and takes outright responsibility when it comes to GBV. We need to come up with and improve services for womxn who have suffered any kind of abuse, notably health care services and referral networks for reporting GBV.

Other initiatives vital to tackling this scourge include continuous training, monitoring and sensitisation of police officers on GBV and response to cases of GBV; improving pre-existing and/or developing institutional policies and procedures for GBV cases; developing and improving procedures for GBV survivors; developing and improving educational material at all schooling levels; assimilating and making gender and queer discourses compulsory in post-school education and training (PSET) curricula; and incorporating GBV to become a crucial research discourse in the post-schooling system. Lastly, there is a need to initiate programmes that focus on young men and boys.

The plight of GBV in institutions of higher education and in our communities all around SA is reflective of the calamities that the country is now faced with, such as the underlying challenges in the curriculum, toxic institutional cultures, and so forth. GBV is a thorn that is continuously poking our flesh with every step we take as a country. This scourge is and has been a terror to womxn across all communities of SA. We need to rid our nation of this terror. We need to rid ourselves of this ‘new normal’, which has negatively impacted the identity of our people and nation.

By: Siyanda Magayana - SowetanLIVE