Dr Lesley Ann Foster
Executive Director, MASIMANYANE WOMEN’S rights international
to all our girls. Don’t subject yourself to abuse from some guy because he has some money... you can die at their hands”. Similarly, the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities claimed that Mokoena had become a victim of abuse because she was ‘weak’.
They were supposed to support and secure justice for her, but instead they blamed her. These are the people with institutional power whom the nation trusts to support GBV survivors.
G: How’ does GBV affect how women live?
KM: During the lockdown, countries across the world have reported a surge in violence against women. But we’re living under some form of lockdown regardless of a pandemic. Most women are burdened with having to be vigilant. The news articles we read, the stories we hear from our friends and family, and sometimes our own experiences, teach us to be afraid. An in-depth analysis of the Victims of Crime Report found that that one-third of women fear going to open spaces and parks, and more than half of those women (54%) feel unsafe walking alone in the dark.
G: What fuels your passion for speaking out against GBV?
KM: The work of many women, movements and organisations won’t be in vain such is the power of collective action. One day, we’ll live in a world where women don’t have to live in fear of violence. I can picture it clearly, not just for myself, but for every woman.
Glamour: Perpetrators getting younger. Some are even as young as primary school age. Why is that happening?
Dr Lesley Ann Foster: It’s a complex problem due to social and economic factors. The family dynamic has changed, over 35% of it female-headed, and more households are poverty stricken. Their fathers absent, boys learn masculine behaviour where they find it, and such role models are likely to convey negative images of masculinity. Fatherless boys search for identity because they’re deprived of guidance from a father figure and have no positive role models from which to form their own identities.
Many children grow up without parental support. Girls learn to take care of their home and their siblings. If their family is poor, they’re expected to supplement the household income by working in menial jobs. Boys have a higher status than girls. Deprivation is far-reaching, and it happens on many levels, leaving the affected children vulnerable to other influences. Add social media, the influence of rogue elements, perpetrators of violence, alcohol and drugs, and you have toxic combinations that lead to early sexual encounters. Many boys witness violence in these situations, which in turn teaches them to be violent.
G: Why’s victim-blaming still happening?
Dr LF: Women and girls carry the shame and blame for violence perpetrated against them due to low societal status. Society protects men no matter how badly they behave.
The woman or girl believes that her inadequacies cause violence. Families and communities don’t support women who experience violence, meaning they feel ashamed and know that it’s wrong, but they assign blame to the victim rather than the perpetrator. Women may report abuse, but in most cases, they talk to male police who may be hostile toward them due to patriarchal notions of what a woman’s place is.
G: What’s sustaining rape culture? Dr LF: Societal norms and standards, gender inequality, toxic masculinities, and impunity in the criminal justice system. The media, which promotes negative stereotyping of women and toxic masculinities, plays a significant role. Rape’s never about sex; it’s about the perpetrators having power and control over their victims. That isn’t fully understood. We need to develop positive male identities to stop rape culture, and we need to accord women and girls dignity and respect. In conclusion, we can overcome rape culture and all forms of GBV with real political will and a sound investment in the resources needed to change mindsets, attitudes and behaviours.
“One-third of women fear going to open spaces and parks”
– Koketso Moeti