Gender-based violence a symptom of far deeper social ills

Gender-based violence is a huge problem in South African society. Our media regularly tells stories of horror and unbelievable cruelty committed largely by men against women.

It is apt, therefore, even though frustrating, to turn our attention once again to this scourge during Women’s Month.

I say apt because it is incumbent upon us to find a lasting solution to  gender-based violence.

At the same time it is frustrating because no intervention seems to be effective yet; instead we see a growing incidence of gender-based violence with increasingly horrific rapes and murders.

The real danger is that the more of these stories we hear and read, the more our associations get warped.

It is not right for any nation to think about gender-based violence when they think about women. Instead we should think about love, courage and excellence when we think about women.

A further injustice is the association of women with the cruelty of men. While we know that the definition of gender-based violence requires this association, the more this association is entrenched in our minds and in the minds of little girls and boys, the more the result will be contrary to what we want to achieve.

Instead, what we want to entrench in the minds of little ones is the seamless coexistence between men and women. It is the association of the timeless interaction between women and men with love, mutual respect, mutual support and the foundations of human development.

While it may look like an increase in consequences against or punishment for perpetrators of  gender-based violence is the way to go, this on its own will not win the fight.

While the condemnation of men as perpetrators of gender-based violence may seem like the route to follow, if such condemnation is not skilfully targeted and used in conjunction with other measures, it will not be enough.

While awareness campaigns against gender-based violence seem like a proper intervention, such interventions on their own will not eliminate the scourge.

What we need to realise is that  gender-based violence is a symptom of deeper social ills, which are also sometimes symptoms of even deeper ills.

We know, for instance, that gender-based violence is likely in patriarchal societies. We also know that it is likely where there is alcohol and drug abuse. We know that drug and alcohol abuse are likely in poor societies.

We know that in poor societies there is a prevalence of lack of skills, jobs and self-esteem. We know that lack of self-esteem plays a prominent part in mental instability. At the end of the day, all forms of social instability can be linked to this; mental instability.

Very few people can dispute the insanity of a man who decides to take an innocent human being, and sadistically rape and kill that child or woman. This is not mere criminality, it is criminal insanity.

If we dissect many of the horrible incidents of gender-based violence, we can come to this same conclusion.

This does not suggest that we take such people into psychiatric hospitals — jail will do just fine. We do not have enough psychiatric hospitals and we are too poor a country to afford skilled psychiatrists, sixakwe nazi general hospitals ezi (we also have shortage of hospitals).

However, of greater concern to us should be why our society is increasingly producing such high levels of the criminally insane.

Never mind what we should do to curb the problem after the fact — what can we do to progressively produce more stable, happy and productive citizens?

If we can answer these questions, the sweet mumbles of useless politicians year after year will no longer be needed. The marches of our people against gender-based violence, petitioning a clueless government whose sole performance seems to be giving platitudes, will be history.

A disturbing element of the scourge of gender-based violence is how it is mirrored in the abusive relationship South Africans have with the ANC.

No matter how much abuse we suffer in the hands of this formerly glorious organisation, we seem to keep coming back for more punishment as we vote it back time and again.

Just like a lover who used to mesmerise, charm and dazzle, whose only hold on us is our own hope that “maybe he will change”, we ride the punches and suffer the broken bones of our society.

Maybe it’s time for a new story for South African women and this society!