Educate men on rights of women

#MenAreTrash and gender-based violence

THE feminist narrative that all men are trash is understandable, but I was shocked that a radio personality with a following can generalise that all men are trash.

While agreeing with Jeff that #MenAreTrash is an expression of the daily terror and humiliation women experience in taxis, buses and on the streets, not all men are perpetrators.

Violence against women affects women all over South Africa and the world, whether rich or poor, young or old, black or white. This scourge has been concentrated in working-class communities but, quite honestly, all classes in society are affected by gender-based violence.

Violence against women takes many forms – physical, sexual, economic, psychological – but all of these represent a violation of human dignity and human rights and have lasting consequences both for women and their communities.

Violence and abuse against women must be understood within the broad context of social ills bred by a system of capitalism that places money above human beings. It is no coincidence that the majority of gender violence is perpetrated against working-class and poor women.

The pervasive, negative effects of capitalist-induced poverty are directly linked to violence against women. The terrible brunt of our democracy is the violence of poverty, starvation, humiliation and degradation.

Poverty, inequality and unemployment are conditions under which violence thrives. Women perform 66% of the work worldwide and produce 60% of its food, yet they earn 10% of the income and own 1% of the world’s property.

Men are brought up to be tough, to fight and not to show any soft feelings – they are told “boys don’t cry” from a very early age. Many children see their father hit their mother.

When they are adults, men are expected to be in charge of the family. Because of gender oppression, women do not have the same value as men in society – many men and women still believe men are better than women, so this makes men think they have a right to beat women.

Culture and religion is often used as an excuse for men to dominate and even beat women.

We are fortunate to live in this country with legislation that protects and defends women.

The Bill of Rights, part of our constitution, says: women have the right to be treated equally to men; women have the right to freedom, safety and dignity; women have the right to be free from all forms of violence at home and in public; no one has the right to discriminate against women at home or at work.

Yet, South Africa is the leading country in gender-based violence cases. This needs to be stamped out of our society.

Patriarchy and capitalism are bedfellows, and in a capitalist society, inequality and discrimination are the order of the day. What Jeff misses is that some women were used as recruiters of young girls in the case of the arrested Pastor Omotoso. They the (recruiters) knew very well why those young girls were transported to Durban to stay in the pastor’s house.

The killing of Karabo Mokoena and many women and young girls by their boyfriends and husbands should serve as a reminder to all South Africans that the freedoms for which we have fought can never be fully appreciated as long as members of society remain vulnerable to violence and abuse, often by those closest to them.

Radical economic transformation will curb violence against women. Gender gaps in the economic mainstream need to be tackled with vigour and urgency as economically disempowered women are vulnerable to gender-based violence. As a country we need to focus our energies on strategies for empowering women economically to afford them greater autonomy in securing livelihoods.

It is the responsibility of all members of our society to ensure that the rights of women are respected as equal citizens. And we as men must be in the forefront in saying no to beatings and rape of women; sexual molestation of young girls; pornography; incest and sexual harassment in the workplace.

We (men) all need to educate other men about the rights of women as well as how to deal with these incidents and eradicate them from society.

#MenAreTrash – it’s not true. I will never be trash and I respect women, including my own wife, as jewels in society. Gift Ngqondi, ANC regional head, communications unit