Saturday, 28 November 2020
Transcript of Ms. Precious Bhengu's speech
Ms Simthembile Cele, Mr. Welcome Mkhize, Mr Scelo Dlamini, Ms Luyanda Khawula and the Mary Memela Foundation family, stakeholders and friends of the organization. The Mary Memela Memorial Lecture partner, Nonhlanhla Ntshangase from Food by the Foodies, ladies and gentlemen, good day to each and everyone of you.
Thank you for joining us this morning to mark the first of a series of events to commemorate the passing of Gogo Mary Memela and to debate social issues. Today's social issue that we will tackle, is gender based violence as it has grown rapidly in South Africa. Speech
Gender based violence is the most cruel expression of gender inequality in society. It is first and foremost a violation of human rights and a threatening issue that cuts across culture, wealth, race, age and sexual orientation.
Gender based violence affects mostly women but it does not mean that it does not affect men and boys. Gender based violence affects gender justice, because it continues the oppression of women and girls and hindering democratic development. If women and girls are not safe then they can not participate well in development of their society. They can not unleash their full potential if they are oppressed and if they feel unsafe because they will always be cautious, they can not be full citizens. As I've said before, gender based violence is a violation of one's human rights and this has been reflected on one of the many treaties, one of them being the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Descrimination against Women.
Gender based violence is something that can be presented and we would have to look into root causes of such a form of brutality aimed at women and children of South Africa. One of the many root causes of gender based violence is gender inequality, where men feel that they are superior than women. This is a trend that has been around for centuries and it would take us also centuries before we solve the issue of gender inequality and this is just the beginning. Putting an end to gender based violence that threatens the security of women and children, should be a priority for the South African government but this responsibility should not solely rest on the government but it should rest of each and everyone of us. For us to not look away and say it is none of our business. Such issues should be addressed on ground level and that is, that the community should rally behind women and ensure their safety. For men to protect women, regardless whether they know her or not. God gave man physical power when compared to women and so men should use that power to protect not brutalize the powerless and vulnerable children who depend on them when it comes to their safety. That is the transformation that is needed in our society, where men use their power to protect.
The only time that we will win the firght against gender based violence will be when gender equality is achieved. When women and men, boys and girls are offered the same rights and opportunities in life. When they are given the power to share their lives and to contribute equally to society and for them to have as much relevance in society as the others regardless of their sexual orientation. We should do away with ancient forms and embrace the new norms where women are treated equally as men. We embrace the rapid change of technology and now as we look onto the fourth industrial revolution, let us not get stuck in the past, let us transform the way we see gender relations too and embrace equality just like we embrace the fourth industrial revolution. Due to the fact that victims of gender based violence are women, one finds that the term "violence against women" is mostly used, not undermining the fact that some men fall victims of gender based violence but what we find is that the brutality is experienced by women. Women can be perpetrators too and can inflict harm on men too, as much but that is a debate for another day.
Women and girls are associated with weakness, inferiority and victimisation and such stereotypes perpetuate gender based violence because women are seen as not being able to defend themselves if they were to be attacked. As I've said before that men and boys can become victims of gender based violence and when they do, they are punished and made to seem as of a low-status masculine class, they are thought of being weak. This is because men are thought to be able to defend themselves and so they should not fall victim but some do. So this is not about which gender is better than the other but it is about how can we solve this issue that not only affects women but also affects me too. An ineffective criminal justice system is failing us as women and men who be become victims of gender based violence. The criminal justice system needs to have in place harsh sentences for those found guilty of gender based violence on women and children and even on men because some of them are affected too.
Now let's talk about the lifecycle of gender based violence because it comes in different shapes and forms and can last long term or short term, in a person's life. Some people experience gender based violence in multiple occasions, which can be from childhood, to adulthood and old age. The most severe forms of gender based violence are not the only forms that are hurtful but also those that occur on a daily basis throughout a person's life. At infancy, little girls face being sexually abused and little boys are faced with being physically abused. At childhood, girls are faced with forced marriage and boys are faced with domestic violence that is inflicted either on them or their parent. At adolescence little girls are faced with child trafficking into the sex trade and boys are faced with forced recruitment into being a child soldier. At adulthood, girls are faced with sexual harassment in the workplace and boys are faced with gang violence. And at old age, women are faced with domestic violence and men are faced with elder abuse, due to their frail health.
Gender based violence occurs in different places not only at home but also at school, workplace and even at parks. Gender based violence can be either random, whereby the the victim does not know the perpetrator or it can can be repeated and systematic whereby the victim knows the perpetrator and the violence occurs repeatedly because they live in the same household. Gender based violence knows no race, religion, economic status or sexual orientation, it is cruel and those who fall prey, are those who are vulnerable because they can not defend themselves if they were to fall victim. In most cases, the vulnerable group include women, children, refugees, immigrants, LGBTI+ persons, minority groups, the disabled, the elderly and women in the prostitution industry.
Gender as I've said before, comes in different shapes and forms and by mentioning the few that I will mention just now, does not undermine other forms of gender based violence and the urgency they have. Domestic violence is the most common form of gender based violence. Children who are exposed to domestic violence, whereby they witness their parent being abused by their father, become inderectly affected by this experience and in some cases, they find themselves being perpetrators because of the effect of what they were exposed to. In many legal frameworks, domestic rape, emotional abuse and economic abuse are not considered acts of criminality. Domestic violence is condemned by many societies but in some cases they feel that such matters are private matters that they wish lot to get involved in. In some cases of domestic violence, intervention is needed and could save a lives so as a society we should intervene when we find that domestic violence is taking place.
Sexual violence by non-partners include sexual harassment, assault, rape and hang rape. Statistics by the World Health Organization show that 7% of women in the world have experienced sexual violence by persons who they don not have intimate relationships with. Gang rape is one of the most brutal crimes and in most cases, women and children are affected, men and boys too fall victim.
African traditional practices always play a role in gender based violence, not all but some. One of the many harmful African tractional practices, is that of female genital mutilation. This form of gender based violence occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa and the middle east and it is often carried out by traditional personnels and not by medical doctors. Out of the twenty nine countries where female genital mutilation occurs, half of those countries practice this tradition on girls at the age of five years. The other half of the twenty nine countries practice this tradition on girls at the age of five to fourteen. We should do away with tradition or religion that uses gender based violence to justify their beliefs in the name of any traditional ancestry or God.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community become victims of gender based violence and are highly descriminated upon, worldwide. In 76 countries, belonging to the LGBTI community is a crime and in 10 countries people of the LGBTI community face life imprisonment or being executed. Such a crime is what is called "hate crime" because in honest fact, it driven by hate. It is appalling that hate is enough to lead to imprisonment or executition. In a world where we embrace the development of technology, we fail to embrace our own people as they are, yet we are stuck in ancient ideologies that continue to oppress us as women. In most cases you will find that people of the LGBTI community face what is called, corrective rape. Where men rape LGBTI community members with the futile idea that they will be corrected because the path that they chose is not normal. In a civilized and well structured society but there are those who still act uncivilized by harassing members of the LGBTI community. Again, we embrace the fourth industrial revolution but we fail to embrace our brothers and sisters by accepting them as they are.
Now let us address the issue of gender based violence, because as much as we can put the the blame on a a certain group of people for inflicting harm on another, we must come up with ways to address this plague. Addressing gender based violence is a development goal on its own and countries should adopt and work on, so that it does not occur in the future. We should not shy away from the fact that gender based violence is a human rights issues, due to the fact that it violates one's human rights. It does this by taking one's life, and everyone has a right to life and a right to safety regardless of their sexual orientation. This is because human rights are not biased and they know no sexual orientation, everyone has the same rights and no one should infringe on the next person's rights. As a society we should respect the next person's right to life, safety, sexual orientation and sexual identity that they choose. This responsibility should not only rest on the South African government but if should rest on me and you. Countries should transform their social and cultural practices and embrace the new norms and style of living, as we now live in the 21st century, we are civilized and we know the difference between what is wrong and what is right.
Gender based violence contributes to the spread of HIV and if we do not tackle this issue, then HIV will spread further like wildfire. The way in which gender based violence contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS is through forced sex. Rape not only takes away the dignity of women and girls but it also leaves them with the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. This then leads to women not getting tested for HIV/AIDS due to the stigma that is attached to people who are HIV positive. The fear of knowing your status is one of the biggest issues because if you know your status then you are able to protect yourself and the next person.
Gender based violence is a security threat and prevents peace. It is a security threat because it strips away the safety of women. In South Africa women are being slaughtered, in the hands of men, on a daily basis and some of them find themselves being victims of rape. This takes their security and peace because these acts are becoming a habit and they are severely brutal. The right to safety for anyone regardless of their gender, is an important right. Taking away this basic right means that women can not fully participate and become active citizens. As women we should be engaged with, protected and empowered, this will ensure sustainable peace and development.
There are solutions to almost every problem and I will outline the solutions to gender based violence. One of these solutions is simply to prevent gender based violence from happening in the first place and this should be a key priority. Gender based violence can not be treated in isolation because it is linked to gender inequality, gender roles, traditional customs and so on. There should be a shift in focus, seeing women as survivors and agents of change instead of seeing them as victims because are stronger than that. Women should be economically empowered so that they can stand on their own and for them to be able to provide for themselves without having to be dependant on men. Efforts should be made to ensure that women and girls are well educated, because education is the key success. This will also enable them to notice an abusive relationship at it's early stage and for them to walk out as soon as possible. Efforts to educate girls and boys at their adolescent stage, about sex education and how to treat women and the transition of HIV/AIDS. Include men too as survivors of gender based violence because they too experience gender based violence even though such cases are not reported due to the fear of being stigmatized, as some of them belong to the LGBTI community. As South Africans, let us transform our what we see as normal and the way we behave when it comes to treating women. These are the gender stereotypes that are shaped and moulded in our minds from a young age by the institutions such as schools, churches, cultures, traditions and I'm some cases, cults. The South African government should strengthen laws around the issue of gender based violence. The criminal justice system of this country should be harsh on those found guilty of gender based violence and rehabilitate them because such behavior is not normal. There should be efforts made to ensure that women are able to buy land of their own without having to have a man to sign on their behalf, this will ensure that women become independent enough to start their own household and abandon abusive relationships. The criminal justice system should be strengthened so that it does not fail survivors of gender based violence. This is because the criminal justice system is the only system that upholds the law and when the police work together with the courts and the correctional services, then perpetrators will be held accountable. There should be an improvement of response services for survivors of gender based violence. Response should based on the survivor's needs and safety. If a woman reports that her husband is abusing her, there should be a quick response by the police and the community because the police need the community when it comes to problems that take place in the community.
And I would like to close off with this last statement that gender based violence is a problem for us all, men and women. As a community we should put an end to gender based violence and assist the police wherever they need assistance when it comes to arresting perpetrators. If a survivor of gender based violence does not have the strength because of trauma they might choose to not persue justice but this where as a community we have to intervene and support the survivor and ensure that those responsible face the full might of the law. Correctional facilities should also rehabilitate perpetrators so that they can not repeat the same offence and this will decrease gender based violence because they will be deterred from doing it again.
I hope that from this day onwards we will be active citizens by reporting acts if gender based violence and for men to use their power and strength to protect love and serve beautiful women of this, God bless women. I thank you all.
