Tackling violence against women

The Soul City Institute is highlighting violence against women and aims to create a future free of the scourge.

The institute is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation which aims to create social change through the dissemination of messages on social media and broadcast channels, as well as education through various programmes.

This Women’s Month, the institute upped its campaigning to talk about violence committed against women, how to rid the country – and furthermore the world – of violent and sexually charged acts against women.

Speaking at the institute’s Violence Against Women media briefing, the chief executive officer of the organisation, Lebohang Ramafoko, talked about the many challenges facing women including violence and inequality.

“The question that was posed was ‘Violence against women – can it be stopped?’ In order to do that, we would have to change so many facets of society. When you look at an individual case of violence you miss so many layers of the issue that need to be talked about,” she said.

Tshepiso Maleswena, activist and Wits University student, touched on the issue of social norms and explained that to break the silence and address the problems, social norms would have to be thrown out the window. “Women are taught to be ladylike and obedient, and during Women’s Month we are told to celebrate, commemorate and comply, but we are celebrating, commemorating and complying women into their graves,” Maleswena explained.

“When we speak about rape, we are speaking about the parameters of compliance, so what we need to do – and are doing – is to disrupt, question and disobey.”

Focusing on a number of issues regarding women’s rights, Savera Kalideen, senior advocacy manager of the institute, explained that there were many places where educational gaps occurred throughout people’s lives. She added that while there once was a Department of Women, from 2009 to 2014, it was consolidated and became a part of the Department of Social Development; and now women are unsure of where to talk about gender-based issues.

She also noted that parents and the education system were two facets where young people should learn about inequality and violence, but often did not because of the sensitive nature of the topic.

Maleswena urged parents and teachers to educate the youth under their care about consent, inequality, women’s rights and all the other sensitive issues, to build a future free of gender-based violence.