November 25 marked the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Violence towards Women and Girls
GENDER
“Orange your profile to say NO to violence against women”.
This is the opening line of the latest social cause promoted through Facebook. Many well-meaning souls follow suit and add the temporary feature to their profile pictures to show their support for the fight against violence towards women and girls … albeit only for 16 days.
November 25 marked the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Violence towards Women and Girls, the conclusion of which coincides with International Human Rights Day on December 10. Celebrities, politicians and other public figures have come out en masse in support of the fight against this intergenerational demon, which continues to infect societies with harmful effects. The support proffered by world leaders and those of influence consists of a blend of well-intentioned slogans and pledges that includes reducing the pay gap between men and women, and efforts to increase the statutory protection of women, among others.
As someone who had been assaulted and humiliated by a male relative a mere six days before the commencement of this initiative, I simply don’t feel that current efforts to eradicate violence against women and girls adequately permeate to the core of the matter. I was aggressively manhandled and assaulted by my only male cousin, someone who is alleged to have an extensive history of brutalising women. I sustained a bloody laceration to my arm and other bodily harm as a result of this attack.
Apart from my mother and one of her sisters, I did not receive any support whatsoever from peers I had once considered socially progressive. Instead, the father of the cousin who assaulted me insisted that his son could not be capable of such a deed and remarked that I needed to have more “respect”.
I had been violated and humiliated. I went to the local police station to assert my basic human rights and seek justice, but my attempt to empower myself proved to be the most disempowering experience — and was a deterrent.
The police clerk on duty advised me incorrectly on the appropriate action to take: I was told to seek a protection order against my attacker. When I arrived at the family court, I was told (very loudly and within earshot of several strangers) that the order would probably not be granted, given that this was “only the first assault”.
The clerk in the family court then abruptly announced that they were closing for lunch and that I should return after one hour to file my complaint, despite the fact that there was no guarantee that my protection order would be granted. I looked around and noticed the desolate faces of the scores of women who had come here for help.
The subhuman treatment I received at the family court cannot be expressed in words. It left me feeling as though I was the perpetrator. It was simply dehumanising.
I eventually resorted to pressing charges of assault and was fortunate to be assisted by an empathetic female detective.
I cannot help but wonder about the plight of those who have not been as fortunate as I was in this instance.
Before this experience, I had always taken pride in South Africa’s extensive constitutional provisions for the protection of women.
I have, however, been brought to the realisation that efforts to eliminate gender violence should include improvements at the most rudimentary levels — the family structure and the public services staff who are employed to provide support to victims of violence.
A shift in mind-set and the attitudes of broader society towards gender-related matters is needed before any notable strides can be made towards the realisation of this goal.
Public sector workers employed to assist victims of violence need to be suitably trained and equipped if they are to empower victims: they should not deride them or provide them with incorrect information, which leads to women running from pillar to post and eventually abandoning their efforts to seek justice.
Without these basic strides, the efforts to address gender violence are merely ink on paper and hot air.
Blanche Michael is a freelance editor and writer living in Cape Town.