Discussion | Gender based violence cases on the rise

Summary

In Johannesburg, a march against gender-based violence was held following the recent murders of two women. Gender activists and a Commission for Gender Equality spokesperson discuss the ongoing crisis in South Africa, emphasizing the need for men to change their actions. The conversation highlights the importance of educating young boys and holding abusers accountable. Activists call for societal change, urging men to speak out against violence and for institutions to fulfill their mandates in preventing such crimes.

Takeaways

• 🚨 **Urgent Issue**: The script discusses the ongoing and severe problem of gender-based violence in South Africa, with recent murders of women highlighted.
• 🗣️ **Voices of Activism**: Gender activists and a Commission for Gender Equality spokesperson express their views on the crisis, emphasizing the need for change.
• 👥 **Male Accountability**: There is a call for men in South Africa to take responsibility for their actions and to change their behavior towards women.
• 👶 **Youth Focus**: The conversation suggests that addressing the issue should start with young boys, teaching them respect and proper behavior towards women.
• 🏠 **Family and Society**: The role of family structures and societal norms in perpetuating violence against women is discussed, with an emphasis on the impact of single-parent homes and exposure to violence.
• 👮‍♂️ **Institutional Failure**: Critics argue that institutions like the Commission for Gender Equality have failed to effectively address the issue and are not living up to their mandate.
• 📢 **Awareness Campaigns**: The script mentions the importance of awareness campaigns and community education to change societal attitudes towards women.
• 👨‍👦 **Mentorship Programs**: There is a mention of programs aimed at mentoring young men to become better partners and individuals in society.
• 🔄 **Need for Continuous Effort**: The conversation points out that one-off marches and events are not enough; there is a need for sustained, project-driven efforts to engage men.
• ⚖️ **Legal System**: The role of the judicial system in addressing gender-based violence is touched upon, with a call for it to be more effective in dealing with perpetrators.
• 💪 **Strength and Resilience**: The script ends with a message of strength and resilience for women, encouraging them to stand up against abuse and seek help.

Q & A

What was the purpose of the march against gender-based violence in Johannesburg?

The march aimed to protest against the recent murders of women and to raise awareness about the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence in South Africa.

How were the victims of the recent murders described in the script?

The victims were described as being brutally murdered, with one found hanging from a tree with stab wounds and pregnant, and another's body was found dumped.

What historical context was provided regarding gender-based violence in South Africa?

The script mentioned past incidents of violence against women, including the murder of a 14-year-old girl and a 98-year-old woman in the Eastern Cape, indicating that the issue is longstanding and not new to 2020.

What is the characterization of being a woman in South Africa as per the script?

Being a woman in South Africa is described as being a 'working zombie' or a 'shadow that can disappear at any minute,' highlighting the constant threat and fear they live under.

What role do men have in addressing the issue according to the activists in the script?

Activists emphasized that men in South Africa need to change their actions, speak up against abuse, and not remain silent or complicit in the face of violence against women.

What is the criticism of the Commission for Gender Equality as mentioned in the script?

The criticism is that the Commission for Gender Equality is not effectively fulfilling its mandate to educate communities and create awareness campaigns, and is only reactive after incidents of violence occur.

What are some of the programs mentioned to address the behavior of young boys in South Africa?

The script refers to programs that aim to groom young boys to become better partners and individuals, and the need for more initiatives to educate them on respecting women and changing societal norms.

How does the script suggest changing the mindset of men towards women?

The script suggests that men need to be educated to understand that they do not own women and that violence is never a justifiable response, and that this education should start from a young age.

What is the role of family structure and upbringing in perpetuating violence as discussed in the script?

The script indicates that single-parent homes and exposure to violence during upbringing can lead boys to become violent adults, and there is a call to engage with these boys and provide positive role models and education.

What advice does the script offer to women who feel they might be in a dangerous situation?

The advice given is for women to recognize the signs of potential violence and to leave such situations, emphasizing that abusers rarely change and that women's lives are paramount.

What is the final message to women from the activists in the script?

The final message is one of strength and resilience, encouraging women to stand together, support each other, and continue fighting against gender-based violence despite the challenges.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 Women's Struggle in South Africa

The paragraph discusses the ongoing issue of gender-based violence in South Africa, highlighting recent tragic incidents where women were murdered. It emphasizes the urgency of the situation, noting that these problems persist despite previous marches and efforts. The conversation includes a discussion with a gender equality spokesperson, Jeff Oberoi, and gender activist Nilayam, who express frustration at the lack of change and the need for men to take responsibility for their actions. The paragraph emphasizes the need for societal change and the role of men in addressing violence against women.

05:01

👦 The Impact of Society on Young Boys

This paragraph delves into the societal influences that shape young boys' perceptions of women, often leading to harmful attitudes and behaviors. It discusses the sexual commodification of women and how it affects boys' views of girls. The paragraph also touches on the efforts of certain organizations and individuals to mentor young men towards better behavior. There is a critique of the gender commission's effectiveness and a call for more proactive measures to educate and change societal norms. The conversation suggests that men need to hold each other accountable and that the current approaches to gender equality are insufficient.

10:03

🏡 Family Structure and Violence

The focus of this paragraph is on the role of family structure in perpetuating violence, particularly in single-parent homes where children may be exposed to violence. It discusses initiatives aimed at engaging with boys at a young age to prevent future violent behavior. The paragraph also addresses the need for a more consistent and impactful approach to addressing gender-based violence, including the involvement of the justice system and community education. There is a call for men to take a more active role in changing societal attitudes and behaviors towards women.

15:04

💪 Strength and Solidarity of South African Women

In this concluding paragraph, there is a tribute to the strength and resilience of South African women in the face of ongoing gender-based violence. It encourages women to seek help and leave abusive situations, emphasizing that no one should become a statistic. The paragraph ends with a message of solidarity and a commitment to continue fighting for the rights and safety of women, despite the challenges and setbacks.

Keywords

💡Gender-based violence

Gender-based violence refers to harmful acts directed against individuals based on their gender. In the context of the video, this term is central as it discusses the marches against violence specifically targeting women in Johannesburg, South Africa. The script mentions several cases of women being murdered, highlighting the severity of the issue.

💡March

A march, in this context, is a form of protest where people walk together in public to demonstrate against an issue. The video discusses the marches that have taken place in Johannesburg to raise awareness and demand action against gender-based violence.

💡Effectiveness

Effectiveness in this script pertains to the success of the marches in bringing about change. The discussion questions whether these protests have had a tangible impact on reducing gender-based violence or if they are merely symbolic gestures without substantial follow-through.

💡Gender equality

Gender equality is the state of equal rights, opportunities, and treatment for all genders. The script mentions the Commission for Gender Equality, indicating a focus on achieving this state in South Africa, particularly in response to the violence against women.

💡Cries falling on deaf ears

This phrase, used in the script, metaphorically describes the situation where the pleas and demands for change by women are ignored by society. It emphasizes the frustration and lack of support felt by women activists in their fight against gender-based violence.

💡Men's responsibility

The script emphasizes the role of men in addressing gender-based violence. It calls for men to change their actions and attitudes, to speak out against abuse, and to hold each other accountable. This concept is integral to the discussion on how to prevent such violence.

💡Culture of violence

The culture of violence refers to the normalization of violent behavior within a society. The script discusses how young boys grow up in an environment that commodifies women and sexualizes violence, which can contribute to the perpetuation of gender-based violence.

💡Institutional failure

Institutional failure in this context refers to the inability of organizations like the Commission for Gender Equality to effectively address the issue of gender-based violence. The script criticizes these institutions for not fulfilling their mandates to educate and raise awareness, thus failing to create meaningful change.

💡Community education and awareness

Community education and awareness are strategies to inform and educate the public about issues, in this case, gender-based violence. The script suggests that these strategies are necessary to change societal attitudes and behaviors that contribute to violence against women.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. In the script, the women of South Africa are described as 'strong rocks' embodying resilience, despite the ongoing struggle against gender-based violence. This term is used to acknowledge the strength and determination of women activists.

💡Accountability

Accountability in this script refers to the responsibility of individuals, particularly men, to be held responsible for their actions and to take action against gender-based violence. It is discussed as a crucial element in preventing violence and supporting the women's rights movement.

Highlights

March against gender-based violence held in Johannesburg CBD following recent murders of women.

Puglia's murder, found with stab wounds and pregnant, highlights the severity of gender violence.

Another woman's body found a day after Puglia's funeral, indicating a continuous crisis.

The conversation questions the effectiveness of marches and awareness campaigns in South Africa.

Nilayam, a gender activist, describes the grim reality for women in South Africa, comparing them to 'working zombies'.

Historic context of gender violence is provided, dating back to the murder of Unimposing at age 14.

The role of men in South Africa is questioned, with a call for action to change their behavior.

The importance of community education and awareness campaigns is emphasized by gender activists.

The failure of institutions like the Commission for Gender Equality is criticized for not fulfilling their mandate.

The need for programs to educate young boys and men about gender equality and respect for women.

The influence of adult male behavior on young boys and the culture of sexual commodification.

The role of the 'gentleman code' in perpetuating violence against women and the need for men to speak out against it.

Jeff Oberoi, a spokesperson for gender equality, discusses the conversations among men about the issue.

The need for a shift in mindset and behavior among men, recognizing that they do not 'own' women.

The impact of single-parent homes and exposure to violence on the development of violent behavior in boys.

Initiatives to engage with young boys and men to change the culture of violence and promote positive interactions with women.

The importance of life orientation in schools and training teachers to address gender violence.

A call to action for all men to take responsibility for the violence perpetrated by their peers and to change society.

Advice for women in dangerous situations, encouraging them to seek help and prioritize their safety.

Transcripts

hello again another march against

gender-based violence has taken place in

the Johannesburg CBD today in the last

week at least two women have been

murdered and their bodies found at

dumped pregnant sofas or Puglia was

found hanging from a tree with stab

wounds and she was with child a day

after her funeral

another young woman's body was found

dumped in a felt but just how effective

or effective are these marches South

Africa was in the exact same crisis in

October last year so has anything

changed we try to find out now from

Commission for gender equality

spokesperson Jeff Oberoi and gender

activists and Nilayam joining us via

Skype for this conversation a very warm

welcome to both our guests and thank you

very much for joining us this I know let

me start with you perhaps

how would you characterize being a woman

in South Africa thank you did you and

thank you for having us and let me also

create my colleague Java Bali on the

other side first of all being a woman in

South Africa in 2020 you are a working

zombie you are a shadow that can

disappear in any minute you are a person

whose awaited to be allocated a number

of the body that will be lying down

lifeless because a men decided to take

over your life being a woman in South

Africa in this day and age means that

your cries will fall on deaf ears

because no one bothers to listen no one

bothers to hear no one bothers to stand

up for anyone and for anything and any

injustice sorry that happens to a woman

the worst thing is that these are not

Christ that are only emanating or

starting in 2020 these are guys that

have been there when unimposing

was killed her breasts were cut and

stuffed in her private parts at the age

of a mere age of 14

these are cries that have been there to

do as far back as when 98 old woman in

Goethe in the Eastern Cape was raped

killed and her abode was chopped in

pieces and left in that

house with the cries that were there

when Winningham quakecon a--when caribou

more oh um caribou machina and many

other nameless and faceless women who

have died in South Africa the issue for

me in this day and age especially for

today is that the question that needs to

be at there at the attic or and at the

center of every conversation that we are

having is that what is it that the men

of South Africa are doing to change

their actions because we are not dying

for any for any other reason and from

any other reason except for us being

killed by men what is it that the men of

South Africa have done so far and what

is it that they are willing to do so far

to change what is currently happening

how can the future change if it's not

gonna change by them what is it that

they are doing to change let's introduce

into the conversation ja vu by Louie

he's of the spokesperson for gender

equity in South Africa hearing that

question that has been posed by Aussies

and neljä what is it that men of South

Africa have done or are willing to do to

address this situation from the

conversations that you have with people

in your social circles and even people

outside of your circles social circles

what is it that men you speak to tell

you or what are the kinds of

conversations that you are having about

the situation that we are seeing in the

country thank you to do and let's just

shy away from that because your line is

bad boot Java we will try and

reestablish their connection and get

that answer from you but I'd like to

perhaps go into something where we have

a lot of programs that speak to the girl

child and nurtures the girl child do you

see us having as many programs or even a

little bit to address issues of the boy

child to teach them certain languages

and equip them with the tools that they

will need not only for themselves but

also

to interact with women actually do do if

you are looking at the landscape of our

society from a behavioral point you'll

see in as far as men are concerned adult

men that is there's little that young

men or young boys can learn from our

fellow adult men because as you can see

the picture today looks very gloomy the

picture is very a picture of disparity

because the behavior that you will have

on young boys is a behavior remember

young people are a reflection of a

society they live in the only things

that young boys can take in society is

that which is availed to them through

the behaviors of those that are they are

growing up and under during that time so

if you are looking at a young boys of

our of our era its young points that

really and when they see a young girl

they see someone on the basis of the

sexual commodification culture that um

they have grown in society have you know

experiencing that which talks about the

shock the shuttle the shuttle Ness of

the scared the shortness of of their of

the top that is revealing in the flesh

and all those things those are the

cultures that these young boys are

growing up under and these are the

cultures that and a man and not aware

that they are commence enticing young

boys at a very young age to see a woman

as nothing else but just an object for

sexual pleasure and for anything else

that they deem as men they deserve at or

out of a woman and it is a painful

experience because as we stand on the

side as general activists who are

females on the side we ought to find

evil men I know people like and that

there Petric shy has got an organization

that is about grueling young men to to

be better to be better partners in in

their lives as adults I know Rams

ma'buta also runs a an organization

where he's grooming young boys as well

to become better but appears to their

fellow and you know girl

yes but that is not enough and also it's

a pity that we can't get to the gender

and a commission on what because one of

the things that I wanted to emphatically

speak on today is that we have been

failed by institutions like the gender

Commission that institution is not

created and established for people to

give them some big salaries and impacts

and and benefits when on the ground they

are not there to do that which is their

mandate one of the reasons that makes me

to say that is that the only time we

will hear general the general Commission

speaking it is the aftermath of the

killings that would have happened what

is it that they do as they are part of

their responsibility in their mandate of

having an community education that a

campaign awareness in nature which must

bring these dialogues in societies where

people are unable to to TTT to change

their behaviors they are not just an

institution that should be there to

speak and say we condemn we working I

mean we call it out no way an

institution that is empowered with

resources to taxpayers to make sure that

they learn programs and that attention

that contributed towards the change of

what the face of South Africa looks like

in as far as premise is concerned we are

really tired we're even we will not even

see the relevance to do of this hashtag

attack awareness campaigns and matches

and what not 2020 we cannot have men

taking only a stance and taking only a

step by much and much has lost its

meaning much much as have lost their

their parent into to create the impact

we need men of South Africa because out

of five men who are a group of friends

do to one man is a woman a Pecha a woman

a woman abuser two men in that group

know that know that but treatment out of

that a fight about it because the

gentleman code doesn't allow them to

expose one another that is the only

thing that we need South African men to

do now we need them to speak and name

and shame each other so that this thing

can end because the only wisdom why men

still find it possible for them to do as

they please with

it's because they know that there is

someone somewhere who's sitting the fact

that I am an abuser who's shooting me

the fact that I'm akela so those who are

even more you know must be even more

guilty of this should be those the ones

who are quiet knowing very well that

they appears and their friends and their

and their colleagues I will mine wishes

and women killers let's reintroduce a

jabu below a gender equality

spokesperson Java so just hearing what

Aussies and Nellie is saying what is the

temperature of conversations among men

in your social circles and outside about

the issue of abuse of women one of the

guys that we talked to they are owning

up to the mistakes of other fellow men

and including our sources the Commission

we apologized to the head and the pain

that would do to the women the position

has moved away from that social

mobilisation we need to change the

mindset and the desire alpha train we

need to understand it men understand

that they don't own women it's not our

women it's women of this country and

girls and girls the moment that you know

you try to defend them unnecessarily so

you think that you poor you need to be

there to give them a safer space to

coexist and be themselves and what

another thing that is worrying is that

alone we have been doing this gathering

as events we need to be to be more often

a project driven to say it'll engage

with men we need to be get the outcome

we need to have good output and good

input into their off so that men begin

to understand some of them the pain that

they do because no matter how much

you're provoked you cannot kill someone

no matter how you lose your job you feel

less defend that you feel that you can't

provide utility you can't take someone's

life so those are the feel that has

meant we need to do we have seen so much

is that there's impact that is being

there we have seen the matches that we

did we say this is a minister from the

police but minutes of digital every year

hundred men March there was a greater

impact and the momentum died down and

then when we may never was were killed

we started up again

the momentum died down we are bad here

with

to have a ballgame to get all together

in order to deal decisively with the

three and looking at our judicial system

with attempting to be equal to think

Java what is the role of the family

structure the way that South Africa is

set up you find that a lot of homes are

single-parent homes you also find that

the boy child is exposed to violence and

he grows up to be a violent person from

the work that you do what have you

noticed on this from the record with you

we have got also a champion within the

Commission visa labora we had also men

we work with the church for matrons who

went with government what we are seeing

we are encouraging even the Department

of Justice and the minister I'm gonna be

about something called under the tree

dialogue to target that boy child who is

exposed to violence at a young age and

that manifests themselves at the later

years of their life what we need to do

with these boys up on some where it

could be image so again it could be at

the church it could be somewhere we need

to begin a process to adopt a boy tell a

lot of people that have started that we

know some doctors on the social

outsourced alcohol they're doing that

adopt abortion and engage the culture

while they still yeah we need to make

sure that we also take advantage of life

orientation in schools that's where we

can get this young we need to train the

teachers so that they can become express

themselves and also call upon the

Commission and other like my description

which is unable to come on board to say

let's begin to calculate the culture

positive culture your boyfriend when

they're still young when they ate at

primary level so that might be

unfortunate they've dropped out we need

to find them where they are and get you

a did you talk to them engage them

positively we don't have to blame them

but you must make sure they understand

the environment that they grew up it's

not a healthy environment they need to

go through all of us as men we must or

it shouldn't you say ten bacteria that

have been abuse women

it should be all of other states it's on

hand on that we are guilty of this if

one man is doing this it means it's also

I am doing something what I'm doing eg

to change society that's what we are

doing as a book where for the program

for men and boys and what we hope when

we we will go throughout the country

again after

lockdowns will have that many meaningful

impact that we form I desire a final

word from you sis and nearly perhaps

your word to women who are finding

themselves in a very difficult situation

at this hour who are in the same

household as somebody who they can see

maybe not tell that this will end in

something drastic but they can see the

signs that this is getting dangerous

first of all I would love to say do do

that the women of South Africa you are

you are strong rocks from where

resilience of human and failure is built

it is not the end that we find ourselves

having to stand and fight against our

own brothers and our own fathers and our

own relatives who are men in particular

because we've got no one to stand up

with us those who are in relationships

and especially and intimate

relationships where there is there are

signs of violence walk out because an

abuser will never change walk out

because before we know you will be a

statistic we are tired of women becoming

numbers were tired of women becoming

passing shadows we take this moment and

bow our heads as we pay homage to many

women who pass well past in the recent

time due to their health at the violence

and of their partners but also we take

this moment and gather our strength and

women to say as much a lot much like I

did in the past we shall do it will

never tire to fight for one another will

hold each other's hand even as our scars

are plating even as we have no hope that

this will pass but would believe only in

our strength as the women of South

Africa