By addressing these root causes, the Foundation is convinced that the solution and remedy to gender inequality will be revealed and the empowerment of women and girls will become a reality. The violated girl would accompany that group of 20 or 30 boys to identify the culprit . The culprit would be arrested by the group and brought to school to face the teachers as a consequence for the crime they had committed . “Research shows that rates of false reporting are frequently inflated, in part because of inconsistent definitions and protocols, or a weak understanding of sexual assault. Misconceptions about false reporting rates have direct, negative consequences and can contribute to why many victims don’t report sexual assaults (Lisak et al., 2010). To improve the response to victims of sexual violence, law enforcement and service providers need a thorough understanding of sexual violence and consistency in their definitions, policies and procedures.”
As an adult, during the anti-apartheid struggle, I had the privilege to be given the responsibility of political education and, among other things, caring for the interests of girls and women. At the time, men would mostly lead in various capacities, and the interests of girls and women were also overseen by mostly men! The guidance was to ensure that men show respect to African womanhood and treat women and girls as equal partners in the national liberation struggle of the time, i.e. before 1994. Thus the Pearl Mtyi-Mofokeng Charity Development Foundation, was established in 2022 to work and support women leaders and their organisations to combat and eradicate GBV through projects. In my old age, as a pensioner looking around as to what can be done to help in communities as a way of ploughing back, the plight of women suffering from GBV became one of the priority social ills to focus on. That exercise consolidated my understanding about the need for women to be equal to men in all respects and be empowered accordingly to create a fair and just society for all. Working in the communities as a foundation, one makes a variety of findings on the root causes of GBV. The practical workings in communities reveal more than what is generally written in journals or appears in the media about the depth of GBV. In little over a year, the Pearl Mtyi-Mofokeng Charity Development Foundation observed a myriad of causes of social ills, ranging from rapid industrialisation, migration from rural to urban areas, economic systems that relegate women to the lowest priority, inequality, customs, traditions, patriarchy, village norms, feudalism, discrimination of women (education and jobs), business opportunities, lack of access to land, industry, knowledge, etc.
November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
56
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