Sibongile* was seven years old when her aunt’s husband first sexually abused her. She tried to escape from the repeated abuse and sought help from a neighbour, who was a pastor. To her horror he, in turn, raped her. Another neighbour, however, helped her to go to the police.
By January 2000 Sibongile had developed infections as a result of the rape and persistent sexual abuse. In July 2003 two men appeared in court on charges of raping her. The trial ended with the men being acquitted.
Sibongile’s case is one of a minority that have reached the courts in Swaziland. In that country, women and girls suffer high levels of domestic and sexual violence, and experience pervasive economic, social and legal discrimination. In 2002 the United Nations Development Programme concluded that “most cultural expectations and practices [in Swaziland] … contribute to women’s vulnerability to HIV/Aids”.
When Amnesty International launched its Stop Violence against Women campaign earlier this month, it did so partly because worldwide, more women between the ages of 14 and 44 are killed by domestic violence than they are by road accidents. Violence against women is a global outrage. The experience or threats of violence affect the lives of women everywhere, cutting across boundaries of wealth, race and culture.
In the home and in the community, in times of war and peace, women are beaten, raped, mutilated and killed with impunity.
The struggle for women’s rights continues in some of the wealthiest countries and, also, in some of the poorest. But Africa, in particular, has seen few gains in women’s rights.
Violence against women in the family persists, with limited reform of discriminatory legislation and provisions in the law. This includes forced marriage, wife inheritance, marital rape and female genital mutilation.
The underlying cause of violence against women lies in discrimination, which denies women equality with men in all areas of life. Violence is rooted in discrimination and serves to reinforce it.
In Saudi Arabia 15 schoolgirls were burnt to death and dozens of others were injured in a fire at their school in Mecca in 2002. Religious police prevented the girls from leaving the building because they were not wearing headscarves and had no male relatives there to escort them. They were forced to stay in the building and burn.
The scale of rape in Burundi amounts to a deliberate strategy of using sexual violence against women to instil terror among the civilian population, as well as to degrade and humiliate it.
There is no doubt that the impunity that the country’s security forces have enjoyed for rape and other human rights violations — and the lack of accountability of armed political groups — has been a key factor in allowing sexual violence to reach its current alarming proportions.
Fear of being raped at home at night is causing whole families in Burundi to sleep outside and away from their homes, rendering them still more vulnerable to malaria and respiratory diseases. As well as the physical and psychological effects of rape, all victims risk contracting sexually-transmitted diseases including HIV/Aids.
The cycle of violence against women will never be broken if its perpetrators can commit their crimes without fear of punishment. In many countries the laws are inadequate, the police force is not interested and the criminal justice system is expensive and biased against women.
While governments have a responsibility to stop this violence, it is also everyone’s responsibility. Preventing violence requires us to speak out against it and also to listen to women.
There is a need to condemn violence against women as the major human rights scandal of our times; confront those in authority if they fail to prevent, punish and redress it; challenge religious, social and cultural attitudes and stereotypes that diminish women’s humanity; and promote women’s equal access to political power, decision-making and resources. Most importantly, it is necessary to support women in organising themselves to stop this violence.
Amnesty International will spend the next several years lobbying governments, raising awareness on issues around gender violence and organising campaigns to bring an end to this human rights outrage.
Those who wish to assist by participating in this global campaign to make a difference — no matter how small — can contact Amnesty International by visiting the website www.amnesty.org.za or by calling Tel: (021) 320 8155.
*Not her real name
Heather van Niekerk is executive director of Amnesty International South Africa