Violence Against Women in Africa
A Look at Gender-based Violence in South Africa and Nigeria
Feb 23, 2009
March 8 marks the 98th celebration of International Women’s Day. Globally, governments, women’s groups and individuals get together to discuss the challenges surrounding gender issues. Although, there are a number of themes that are honoured each year by different countries and groups, they are often similar. This year’s United Nations theme is: Women and men united to end violence against women and girls. The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women describes violence against women as being: "Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women – including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether in public or in private life".
Violence against women and girls, particularly in the Third World, goes on unabated. Nigeria and South Africa, for instance, are two of the strongest countries on the African continent but both still struggle to stem the tide of violence.
Violence Against Women in Nigeria
Akor Ojoma ‘s article “Nigeria: Violence Against Women - What's the Punishment?” that appeared in the January 26 2009 edition of the Nigerian paper the Daily Trust, reported onhorrific acts of gender-based violence that does on unabated in the country: acid attacks being the most atrocious. The difficulty with curbing gender-based violence in this society, as explained by Ojoma, is that perpetrators are left to operate with impunity.
In Nigeria, as is the case in many third world countries, research on violence against women is negligible. Ojoma quotes Amnesty International as explaining the dearth of research on societal views as: "once a woman is married, she is expected to endure whatever she meets in her matrimonial home". According to Amnesty International’s deputy director Africa programme, Stephane Mikala, as quoted in the article, "On a daily basis, Nigerian women are beaten, raped and even murdered by members of their family for supposed transgressions, which can range from not having meals ready on time to visiting family members without their husband's permission. Tragically, husbands, partners and fathers are responsible for most of the violence against these women,"
Violence Against Women in South Africa
Brutality against Women and girls is rampant in South Africa despite its progressive laws and criminal justice system. On the 11 December the Sowetan detailed a number of shocking statistics regarding violence against women in the country. For instance: one in two women in the country might be raped in her lifetime; a women is raped every 26 seconds in South Africa; One in four women are in an abusive relationship; and, one in four girls has been sexually abused. In 2001 Human Rights Watch reported that girls, independent of economic status or race, were coming across sexual violence where they, theoretically, should be safest. The report, Scared at School: Sexual Violence Against Girls in Southern African Schools, documents violence at schools.
The Way Forward
The reduction of violence would only be possible with societal change. Nowhere is this as obvious as it is in Africa. Despite inroads of women in government and increased education for girls, brutality in the home and community is still tacitly accepted.
After 98 years, all countries need to make drastic changes to the way they treat their women and girls domestically. If this does not happen soon, we would have another 98 years of more of the same.
