Author, executive coach, entrepreneur and social justice innovator Dr Renate Volpe speaks about gender-based violence (GBV) and its various forms within society.
The Bedfordview resident said nobody really has been able to crack the code on GBV.
“There is an incredible spectrum of GBV. It goes from pornography, all the way to objectifying women, to locker room talk. All of these result to entitlement and rape,” said Volpe.
Volpe said GBV is insidious within society and comes in various forms.
“In the corporate world, you have sexual harassment and certain men collude, but, if reported, the boys’ club closes,” said Volpe.
She said the culture of pornography plays into GBV.
“Advertising pornography and people watching pornography is promoting GBV. They don’t see the soul of a person, they relate to body parts,” said Volpe.
She also sees male masturbation as a form of GBV.
“If a married man is masturbating to his secretary or his wife’s friends, he is unavailable to his partner,” said Volpe.
Volpe appeals to good men to find their voices because men only listen to men.
“If a woman says her successful well-known husband hits her around at night, you need to believe her. To women out there, if a man is accused of beating his wife, don’t think he won’t do it to you,” said Volpe.
She said we need to suspend all judgement and listen to all victims.
Emotional abuse is as fatal as physical abuse. Volpe said it destroys your mind, soul and your belief in yourself.
“You become a dead person walking,” said Volpe.
Maj General Bafana Linda from the SAPS spoke about offline and online abuse, at the recent Believe SA think-tank event in Bedfordview.
“He said online abuse is where a 50-year-old man cultivates a relationship with a girl via the internet and it later becomes offline abuse when they meet up. He said allowing your child on the internet at night is like allowing your child to go and walk the streets of Hillbrow at night,” said Volpe.
Volpe said diversity in salaries between men and women is also a form of GBV.
She said the promotion of GBV is undeniable in society as it is seen in books, television and the media, with the notion of the ‘charming man and the flirtatious woman’.
“Society is unaware, and if they became aware, they are reluctant to take a stand,” said Volpe.
Volpe does, however, see the media as positive as GBV is in our faces, creating awareness.
“Society is broken. When things are broken, that is when the light can shine in and we can address the core issues,” said Volpe.
Volpe said women now will never step down again, including herself in the fight against GBV.
“You are not going to put us back in the cupboard,” said Volpe.
