“I am not here as the first Lady of Namibia, I’m here as the president of the Organisation of African First Ladies. One of the things that we try and do is really spotlight attention on issues that are not really getting enough focus. Issues of gender-based violence often result in awkward conversations. Let me tell you the truth, I enjoyed every awkward moment, confrontation, and conversation that was had this morning, because, without awkward and difficult conversations, we don't make progress in addressing things that we'd rather not talk about,” says Geingos.
“So, it's a great honour to be able to deliver this short message at the Presidential Summit on Gender-based Violence and Femicide. Because in theory, we're all against gender-based violence. But in practice, we're not. The home was meant to be the ultimate safe space. But in reality, it's the most dangerous place. We also heard the statistics today; you are more likely to be raped in your own home than in a public and open space. We need to reflect on that, our homes are not safe. We talk about the International Labour Organiszation (ILO) convention to prevent violence and harassment in the workplace because we are not safe, our schools are not safe, our churches are not safe, when will all this stop?”, she asks.
The burden and effects of GBVF are not only those of South Africa, but we are also seeing a rise in the intentional advocacy against GBVF continentally and even globally. As we navigate through this with heightened emotions and opinions, it is important to remember that we are not each other’s enemies, and the war is not against each but an invisible vicious force that has gripped our societies with an intent to instill fear and non-progress. Her Excellency captured this well in response to a statement that was made by a Summit delegate.
Prejudice loves company, and we know it for Apartheid, Apartheid was sexist as much as it was racist. When we talk about gender-based violence and rights-based, we must talk about it from the perspective of not having prejudice. You cannot be against gender-based violence but you are tribalistic. You cannot be against tribalism, but you are xenophobic, you cannot be against xenophobia, but you are homophobic. We must investigate ourselves. A comment was made here at some point that why was bail of R10 000 given to a non-South African for rape. Why should bail be given to rapists for that matter? The law should apply to everybody. Rape is offensive, it hurts from a generational perspective regardless of who the rapist is , concludes Geingos.
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