by Lenina Rassool Producer | Womxn Show
The Womxn Show, says Rassool, aims to make justice and social systems and processes more transparent so that women are aware of their rights, the correct procedures that should be
South Africa has some of the most progressive legislation on GBV in the world. Despite this, our femicide rate is five times higher than the global average, the United Nations (UN) has described this level of violence as “War on Women”. While cases of GBV regularly dominate our headlines, the narrative is often narrowed to the victim and perpetrator, ignoring the broader systemic failures that contribute and even enable the assault on women and children to perpetuate. In 2019, community television station Cape Town TV, with funding from the Ford Foundation, launched the first ever show in South Africa that focuses specifically on GBV. It is produced and hosted by journalist and gender activist Lenina Rassool, who believes that part of the solution is making justice and court procedures more transparent so that victims, especially women, are better able to navigate the system. “I’ve found that people don’t know anything about the justice system until they have to engage with it” says Rassool, “and when they do, ineffective service delivery and misinformation often provides secondary trauma to women who are already battling and broken from abuse.” The Womxn Show aims to add greater context to the issue by shifting the lens away from individual cases and perpetrators and unpacking data and research on violence perpetration and prevention on a community and country scale. The show draws on a large body of NGOs, researchers, experts and government stakeholders to give a deeper and more accurate view of the systemic issues that both drive gender-based violence and hamper effective prevention and responses to violence against women and children.
followed and are empowered to hold stakeholders accountable when those processes are not followed.
Cape Town TV Station Manager Karen Thorne says that the show is a necessary addition to the station’s programming as the channel’s audience falls largely within marginalised communities who are most affected by gender violence and struggle to access the relevant information. Almost three-years into production, the show has created a safe space for survivors to tell their stories. “Guests, who are often survivors, tell the story not of the rape, but the rape trial, and the many ways that the system victimises and victim-blames them,” says Rassool. The Womxn Show also seeks to address the problem of unequal gender representation in the media, featuring a majority of women’s voices to speak about the issues that affect women. You can tune into The Womxn Show every Sunday, at 6pm, with repeats on Tuesday mornings at 11am and Thursday nights at 9pm. To view previous episodes, visit Cape Town TV’s Youtube Channel and click on The Womxn Show playlist. “I’ve found that people don’t know anything about the justice system until they have to engage with it,” says Rassool, “and when they do, ineffective service delivery and misinformation often provides secondary trauma to women who are already battling and broken from abuse.”
10 | Collective Action Magazine
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