A scourge in our society - Gender Based Violence

Countless women and girls in South Africa are victims of various harmful practices which include child marriage, polygamous unions, and sex trafficking. These unsavory practices usually emanate from gender-based violence. The pervasiveness of GBV in South Africa is an acute and extensive issue that impacts many lives. GBV is a pattern of behaviour that is applied to set up power and control over another being with whom an intimate relationship is shared . South Africa is notorious for its high levels of GBV, and the statistics are rarely accurate because of the large numbers of under- reported cases. According to Stats SA, 50% of all assaults are committed by someone close to the victims. Out of these, 15% were perpetrated by a spouse or intimate partner. Many individual factors influence the occurrence of intimate partner violence, but it is critical to note that it is a systemic problem that is deeply ingrained in the institutions, cultures, and traditions of South Africa.

It is important to note that domestic violence is not necessarily gendered, although it is often associated with women as victims and men as perpetrators. Recently there has been a debate about allegations of domestic abuse brought forth against South African gay icon and celebrity Somizi Mhlongo by his husband. This is an indication that intimate partner violence happens in all spheres of society. Society idealizes hegemonic masculinities, and most men are required to adopt certain exulted masculine ideals and practices. These ideals and practices include strength, assertiveness, confidence power and control. In most cultures and societies, a patriarchal gendered culture still dominates, and this creates culturally entrenched beliefs which aid in the domination of men in all spheres of life.

Compounded pressures and inadequacies lead some men to apply violence as a tool to reinforce this loss of power. The least powerful men are those who victimize women, and this is done under social pressure to gather more power and redeem their wounded masculinities. In today’s society and especially in South Africa, the advancement of subordinate genders has forced males who are resistant to change to adopt violence as a justification. With the promotion of gender equality, there has been a destabilization in gendered roles. This has led to a crisis of masculinity. Many men are faced with unattainable and unrealistic demands and pressures which include some antiquated patriarchal notions of manhood. It is important to consider that the notions of hegemonic masculinity are not constant but ever- evolving with the times. In a quest to accommodate gender equality and varying sexualities, a new breed of man is being birthed.

In African culture men are the dominant sex and this cultural perception is passed down across generations. We learn about intimate relations through observation which we later imitate and emulate. Feminism is still complicit in patriarchy, and this is evident in all aspects of society. Traditional ideas about marriage, the family and gender roles support patriarchy, male domination and abuse.

The payment of a dowry and in South Africa ilobola is a common practice in most patriarchal societies. The bride price or ilobola which was paid in cattle represented a woman’s reproductive labour and a bond created between two families. African culture reinforces the notion that through the bride price a husband has full ownership of his wife, and this includes her labour and sexuality. Although many African women embrace feminist ideals, they are still captured by cultural and traditional doctrine. It has been reported that ‘some women who are subservient to their husbands, viewed punishment, male ownership, male sexual entitlement and beatings as a sign or expression of love. Women usually ‘adapt to feminine constructions of the good woman or wife’.

Another argument that dominated the discourse on domestic violence is that South Africa is characterized by a culture of violence’ which stems from apartheid. South African society endorses and accepts violence as a legitimate way to resolve problems and achieve goals. Black communities in South Africa are said to be marked by lack of socio-economic infrastructure, low sense of motivation, high rate of crime and precarious marital relationships.

The South African Domestic Violence act 116 was enacted by the government in 1998 to protect the rights of women (South Africa 1998). The act is supposed to protect victims and encourage them to report cases of abuse. It is assumed that with recourse available to curtail occurrences of domestic abuse figures would have improved. Several factors have been discussed that aim to delineate and provide reasons why victims of domestic violence stay. Victims of domestic violence should not be considered as helpless, but rather resilient . They develop sophisticated coping strategies to survive an abusive relationship. They adopt the ‘learned helplessness theory' where women stop believing that their actions will have a predictive outcome.

If a woman is to escape an abusive relationship, she must overcome the tendency of learned helplessness . This can be done by adopting active rather than passive behaviour and taking a more realistic aversive course. Education, income, and a role in the community provide access to information and resources. An integration into community life removes the victim from existing in solitude and offers a much-needed support base and an avenue to escape. For true change to occur in curtailing the scourge of domestic violence, cultural and traditional thought, which impact and define our way of life should not remain constant but ever evolving with the times.