Domestic Violence: Why are South Africa's men beating their women daily?

Official figures from South Africa’s crime offices state that every eight hours, a woman is killed by someone she knows.

In South Africa, a dangerous trend has taken root so deep that the country’s law enforcement agencies have informed women, the victims, to be wary and protect themselves.

The distasteful trend is a wave of violence against women by South African men, mostly the lovers of these women who are abused.

These crimes have taken two forms. On one hand, there is sexual violence; on the other, women in relationships are also suffering domestic violence at the hands of their lovers and spouses.

The latest South Africa Police statistics claim that between April and December 2017, there were 37,630 sexual offences, of that figure, there were 30,069 rapes. That does not include the number of unreported rapes.

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According to figures from the SA Medical Research Council (MRC), 40% of South African men assault their partners daily — three women in South Africa are killed by their intimate partner every day.

What do you mean by 'violence against women'?

Sexual violence is defined, in its simplest terms, as any sexual act or attempt to get sexual pleasure from a person with force, intimidation or coercion without any regard for the victim’s wishes.

Where a person shows a pattern of violent behaviour towards another in an intimate or personal setting, such as an apartment-sharing arrangement or a marriage.

What exactly is going on in South Africa?

No-one can say for sure when sexual violence against women in South Africa reached such epic proportions.

 

However, the murder of Reeva Steenkamp by her boyfriend, Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius will be remembered at the point where the matter gained global prominence.

In the past few years, the spate of violent incidents has increased.

The crime rate in South Africa’s major cities is relatively high, and amidst many other issues, cases of violence against women have grabbed headlines in the country.

Part of the increased attention that the matter has been paid is down to social media, and platforms like Twitter.

While in the past, these cases could be kept quiet within small communities and towns, victims, their friends and family have called out their abusers to the open.

In some cases, they have even led to arrests and convictions.

However, one sad reality is that as the number of attacks has increased, so have the sheer savagery and gravity of these violent attacks against women.

Speaking with South African media, Major General Tebello Mosikili, National head of the Police’s Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigation Unit, cited one case where an 11-month-old baby was sexually assaulted by a 27-year-old man.

In another incident, a two-year-old girl was raped and murdered by an unknown male, her lifeless body was discovered in her bed by her mother.

 

In a more recent case, a sexual predator stalked a young South African, Relebogile Esther Ratau for years before kidnapping her.

When he did, just weeks ago, he left a short note stating his intent and how he had watched her grow. The incident was posted on Twitter and the young girl has since been found.

How did it get this bad?

Ther patriachal nature of African societies has been blamed for the way women in relationships are treated by their partners.

It also spills over into other parts of society, where male entitlement means certain men feel like they are qualified to have sex with a woman just because they desire it, regardless of their relationship to the victim or what such person wants.

Kholofelo Masha, a South African activist believes a culture of silence has made the situation as bad as it is.

“South African men have remained quiet on the issue for too long”, he told Al-Jazeera, “You hear a lady screaming next door, you decide to sleep when you know there is a problem next door … No man should beat a woman or rape a woman while you’re watching.”

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The government echoes this stance.

When he visited the parents of a three-year-old girl who was raped and killed, South African President Jacob Zuma expressed anger and shock at the wave of violence.

“We as the citizens of this country must say enough is enough,” Zuma said then. “This is one of the saddest incidents I’ve come across. It’s a crisis in the country, the manner in which women and children are being killed.”

 

This statement is not an exaggeration by any means.

Official figures from South Africa’s crime offices state that every eight hours, a woman is killed by someone she knows.

How do we fix it?

The first part of the conversation surrounding violence against South African women involves drawing attention to the problem. The second part involves speaking out against it.

Already, South African activists, such as Kholofelo have staged massive protests against sexual and domestic violence.

In May 2017, hundreds of South African men, under the group #NotInMyName marched through Pretoria with banners and voices raised against the scourge. In front of the group was a woman dressed symbolically in white.

The government has also initiated a new Domestic Violence Act that prevents the Police from dropping charges against persons suspected of sexual assault.

Changing minds and finding closure

In the end, however, there is a fear that, while these sanctions may discourage potential sexual and domestic offenders, they cannot solve a problem that is more behavioural than anything else.

 

Persons who use force to obtain pleasure or make a point often need to be made to see the problem in their actions and encouraged to make an effort to change their ways.

For that reason, the South African society is the first port of call. Men of all ages must be made to understand the implications of sexual and domestic violence on the victims.

Offenders, where they can, must also be rehabilitated and made to understand the damage they have done. In most cases, this will involve dialogue and resolution with their victims.

This will help the predators to come to terms with their actions. For the victims, it will provide much-needed closure.

The sad reality, though, is that there are many victims who will never find that closure.

Justice and closure only ever serve the living.

source http://www.pulse.ng/gist/pop-culture/why-are-south-africas-men-beating-their-women-daily-id7879816.html