Your words mean nothing, women are still being killed
How many times in the news cycle we hear and see women being victims of gender based violence
Countless...
We react, speechless at times, outraged, angered, call for action, national shutdowns and march.
However, is collective activism going to do much in fighting this scourge?
The rape and murder of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana’s by a post office worker, who confessed to killing her was a gruesome reminder of the high prevalence of violence against women and children in this country.
When Uyinene went missing the hashtag #FindNene was born, sadly bombarded by many missing women and girls on my timeline on Twitter every day.
I retweeted, however, her story was different and quickly went viral.
Her death was shocking and infuriating.
Her killer felt like he owned her body, brutally killing her, alleging bludgeoning Mrwetyana with a scale, tricking her to come back to the post office after it was closed.
He then raped her and it is reported that in his confession to the police he said she took time to die saying she was a fighter to the end.
Her death goes into the forever growing list of women killed by men in the country.
Femicide is on the rise, with husbands and boyfriends killing their significant other.
It is a sad affair, as these are the very same men these women are looking protection from.
Leighandre "Baby Lee" Jegels was a champion boxer known for her knockouts, sadly she could not prevent her own death.
Jegels ex-boyfriend who was ordered to stay away from her still proceeded to shot and kill her.
While we were coming to terms with Uyinene and Baby Lee's deaths, a father hanged his three children and his stepdaughter because his wife was planning to divorce him.
Women are not safe and this deserves urgent attention.
At this turmoil times in our country, reports of women being raped, murdered and kidnapped, people asking themselves when will it be enough?
Why are women hated so much?
What did women ever do to men to deserve this persist abuse?
Our bodies continue to be dehumanised, sexualised, objectified and claimed ownership over by men since the beginning of time.
I never feel safe.
Whenever I am walking, grabbing a snack in the shops, doing shopping, eating out and being outdoors in general, I am on the constant lookout of a possible bad situation.
The amount of anxiety that grips me whenever I am out of the house is not normal, we should not be living in fear for 24/7.
Home is a temporary fake safe haven because it quickly changes when nighttime comes, that comfort quickly disappears because in this country we live in confinement in our on homes, CCTV cameras, alarm systems, electric fences and guarded estates.
Rob the house, take all the items but don't touch me, women fear being raped and murdered during an armed robbery.
The poor stance from the government, the lacklustre response by the President who has talked about gender-based violence in an amount of a footnote. The government say that the femicide issue seriously but their actions and words say otherwise.
Talk shops do nothing for the safety of women.
Men need to do better because rapists, killers and abusers are not a foreign creature in SA.
In my experience, every woman knows another woman who has been raped, sexually harassed or abused. But men don't know an abuser or rapists? It does it add up.
They look like our brothers, fathers, nephews, friends and just like any guy at work.
The description of an alien, a demonic man is an attempt to 'other' or dehumanise these men, a comfort that ignores the fact they are just as human-looking as the rest of us. Research has shown some of these have a history of abuse, this has to be tackled at a young age.
Action. Enough talk.
UCT Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said during Uyinene's funeral that the university will be establishing an Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship for Women in the Humanities Department set to be implemented from January 2020 and the funding for the department has already started.
Now that is leadership, action, time frames that make sense and that will help the crisis.
Saying stop killing women is a lazy cop-out.
Countless...
We react, speechless at times, outraged, angered, call for action, national shutdowns and march.
However, is collective activism going to do much in fighting this scourge?
The rape and murder of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana’s by a post office worker, who confessed to killing her was a gruesome reminder of the high prevalence of violence against women and children in this country.
When Uyinene went missing the hashtag #FindNene was born, sadly bombarded by many missing women and girls on my timeline on Twitter every day.
I retweeted, however, her story was different and quickly went viral.
Her death was shocking and infuriating.
Her killer felt like he owned her body, brutally killing her, alleging bludgeoning Mrwetyana with a scale, tricking her to come back to the post office after it was closed.
He then raped her and it is reported that in his confession to the police he said she took time to die saying she was a fighter to the end.
Her death goes into the forever growing list of women killed by men in the country.
Femicide is on the rise, with husbands and boyfriends killing their significant other.
It is a sad affair, as these are the very same men these women are looking protection from.
Leighandre "Baby Lee" Jegels was a champion boxer known for her knockouts, sadly she could not prevent her own death.
Jegels ex-boyfriend who was ordered to stay away from her still proceeded to shot and kill her.
While we were coming to terms with Uyinene and Baby Lee's deaths, a father hanged his three children and his stepdaughter because his wife was planning to divorce him.
Women are not safe and this deserves urgent attention.
At this turmoil times in our country, reports of women being raped, murdered and kidnapped, people asking themselves when will it be enough?
Why are women hated so much?
 |
| 'Women don't owe you shit'. Photo: chnge.com |
Our bodies continue to be dehumanised, sexualised, objectified and claimed ownership over by men since the beginning of time.
I never feel safe.
Whenever I am walking, grabbing a snack in the shops, doing shopping, eating out and being outdoors in general, I am on the constant lookout of a possible bad situation.
The amount of anxiety that grips me whenever I am out of the house is not normal, we should not be living in fear for 24/7.
Home is a temporary fake safe haven because it quickly changes when nighttime comes, that comfort quickly disappears because in this country we live in confinement in our on homes, CCTV cameras, alarm systems, electric fences and guarded estates.
Rob the house, take all the items but don't touch me, women fear being raped and murdered during an armed robbery.
The poor stance from the government, the lacklustre response by the President who has talked about gender-based violence in an amount of a footnote. The government say that the femicide issue seriously but their actions and words say otherwise.
Talk shops do nothing for the safety of women.
Men need to do better because rapists, killers and abusers are not a foreign creature in SA.
In my experience, every woman knows another woman who has been raped, sexually harassed or abused. But men don't know an abuser or rapists? It does it add up.
 |
| UCT shutdown protests after Uyinene Mrwetyana killing. Photo: Daily Maverick |
They look like our brothers, fathers, nephews, friends and just like any guy at work.
The description of an alien, a demonic man is an attempt to 'other' or dehumanise these men, a comfort that ignores the fact they are just as human-looking as the rest of us. Research has shown some of these have a history of abuse, this has to be tackled at a young age.
Action. Enough talk.
UCT Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said during Uyinene's funeral that the university will be establishing an Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship for Women in the Humanities Department set to be implemented from January 2020 and the funding for the department has already started.
Now that is leadership, action, time frames that make sense and that will help the crisis.
Saying stop killing women is a lazy cop-out.
This is very long🤗...but understandable...
ReplyDeleteIt is, but thank you for reading.😊
DeleteVery powerful and informative.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading💖
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