NO EXCUSE FOR VIOLENCE

This week Kwakha Indvodza and other civic organisations began the week by recognising the international campaign ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence’.

The campaign, aimed at challenging violence against women and girls, has over the years provided various platforms to raise awareness of gender-based violence issues and their devastating effects on women and girls and the country at large. Violence is highly prevalent in Eswatini; according to (UNICEF 2007) approximately one in three females experienced some form of sexual violence as a child; nearly one in four females experienced physical violence as a child; and approximately three in 10 females experienced emotional abuse as a child.

Gender-based violence (GBV) refers to any act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and is based on gender norms and unequal power relationships. It encompasses threats of violence and coercion. It can be physical, emotional, psychological, or sexual in nature, and can take the form of a denial of resources or access to services. It inflicts harm on women, girls, men and boys.

Although Eswatini has the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence law, the problem of gender-based violence will not be solved by laws alone, people need to be educated about gender-based violence and its effect on the nation. In patriarchal contexts like Eswatini, we need to challenge the harmful gender norms and their effect on gender dynamics, which have led to the normalisation of violence towards women and girls in our country. Due to the enactment of the SODV Act, the country has witnessed increased reports of gender-based violence formally and informally.

A couple of months ago brave Eswatini women shared stories across the internet about how they were raped, assaulted or molested by men who they considered to be colleagues, friends or family. This proves the magnitude of GBV in our country and how difficult it has been for survivors of abuse to come forward about such traumatic experiences in the past. The law has encouraged many to report cases of domestic abuse; it has encouraged those who go through the abuse and those who witness it.

Criminalises

The law has made the issue of gender-based violence all of our responsibility, these efforts are seen in Clause 70 (reporting of offences) where the Act criminalises the act of not reporting known crimes. Clause 70 shows the gravity with which cases within the SODV Act are taken. One may get arrested for not having reported a crime they witnessed whether they were directly involved or not. More work still needs to be done to ensure that prevalence of GBV is reduced in our nation. We should be having conversations about gender dynamics and sexual consent. We should be teaching each other what the Act actually says. We should be having these conversations with our wives and husbands, with our children and with those most at-risk of both abuse and of perpetrating a crime through ignorance of the law.

Until we witness zero sexual offences, until we witness zero cases of sexual harassment and until we witness zero domestic abuse cases, we, as a nation, should not stop participating in campaigns and any other efforts that advocate for the protection of citizens. The issue of gender-based violence is all of our responsibility. The enactment of the SODV Act was a big achievement for our country, if you take time to look at the contents of the Act you will realise that it is fighting gender-based violence. The domestic violence section of the Act is all encompassing, covering all forms of violence which are often based on gender.

Domestic violence, in the SODV Act, is defined as:
(a) physical abuse;
(b) sexual abuse;
(c) emotional, verbal and psychological abuse;
(d) economical abuse;
(e) intimidation;
(f) harassment;
(g) unlawful stalking;
(h) damage to property;

It is important to note that domestic violence does not always manifest as physical abuse. Emotional and psychological abuse can often be just as extreme as physical violence. Lack of physical violence does not mean the abuser is any less dangerous to the victim, nor does it mean that the victim is any less trapped by the abuse. Nobody deserves to go through any form of abuse and thankfully we have this law to protect us.

Gender-based violence is a huge reality in Eswatini and should no longer be a hidden horror. It should be out in the open and there should be no excuse for inaction where violence is concerned. Survivors and all people in the world need material and tangible support. There should be no excuses for violence.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: