Unequal power relations at the root of gender violence

Outrage. Shock. Despair. Each of these emotions describe my initial reaction to Kwa-Zulu Natal Premier S?bu Ndebele?s comments made at the Sport and Recreation Stakeholder Conference last week. ?How is it that women are raped by feeble, drunk young men? Why can?t we train robust women in judo and karate to beat the hell out of rapists?? he asked.

Outrage. Shock. Despair. Each of these emotions describe my initial reaction to Kwa-Zulu Natal Premier S’bu Ndebele’s comments made at the Sport and Recreation Stakeholder Conference last week. “How is it that women are raped by feeble, drunk young men? Why can’t we train robust women in judo and karate to beat the hell out of rapists?” he asked.

It couldn’t have come at a worse time. I had just ended a conversation about the rape of yet another young girl at her school – by her male peers. Struggling to surface above the feeling of intense fear and powerlessness that threatened at once engulf and explode me, I thought that I had misread his words. Surely a leader of such stature would not say such a thing?

But he had. My response to my colleagues was vitriolic.

But vitriol is most often an easy and simplistic response. What is more difficult is to understand what lies behind this reaction.

The Premier’s statements were made in the context of his support for self-defence training for women. On the face of it there is nothing intrinsically wrong with assuming this pro-active position: It is important that women and girls are able to defend and protect themselves. But when it is linked to statements that appear to reduce rape and sexual violence against women to crimes committed by “feeble drunk young men” and it is said in a country that has been called the “rape capital of the world”, it needs to be challenged.

Firstly, it is not only “feeble, drunk young men” who rape. A cursory glance through South Africa’s court records shows that men who rape come from a range of socio-economic, age, race and class backgrounds.

Secondly, I use the phrase “men who rape” deliberately. Unlike the Premier I think that it is important that language reflect clearly the position I assume. Asking how women are raped, when supposedly making an argument for the need for women to be empowered to defend themselves, subtly shifts the focus away from men as rapists to women who are on the receiving end of this brutality.

Surely, if we are to begin addressing the high levels of violence against women we need to ask: why do men rape women? Why are boys as young as 12 or 13-years old raping 12-year old girls? Why do women and girls need to be trained in judo and karate to “beat the hell out of rapists” as proposed by the Premier.

The Premier’s statements caused me to confront head on the very real threat of rape and sexual violence that women and girls in this country live with every day. While outraged at what I see as his trivialisation of the epidemic of gender violence that is gripping this country, when I found myself thinking “yes, we need to be able to protect and defend ourselves against rape” my outrage multiplied.

While working towards creating a society in which women and girls are able to enjoy their rights to safety, dignity and bodily integrity, Ndebele’s statements brought home to me that this is not yet our reality. Women and girls need to be trained in self-defence because the husbands and partners of over 40 percent of all South African women have raped them.

Because according to a recent study among female youth in South Africa, 71 percent of girls had experienced sex against their will. Because gender based violence causes more death and disability among women between the ages of 15-44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and even war.

Because even though 45 percent of those arrested on allegations of rape are HIV positive, it is very likely that the majority of women will have not access to potentially life-saving post-exposure prophylaxis treatment. Because many girls are scared to go to school – in fear of their teachers who are meant to protect and teach them; in fear of their peers with whom they are meant to learn and grow with.

Ndebele’s dangerous statements throw these facts into sharp focus. They also reveal a lack of understanding about the nature of sexual violence as he lays blame for the rape of women at the feet of “drunken, feeble men” and in so doing fails to recognise that it is unequal power relations that are at the crux of sexual violence against women.

Unless the root of the inequality that is felt in every aspect of our lives is confronted, statements like these will continue to be made – by leaders and ordinary people alike. I feel justified in taking the Premier to task over his lack understanding and sensitivity to the complexities of sexual violence and the reality that women – whether robust and fit or not – never have the choice to “allow a drunken man to harm her”.

At the same time, it is this lack of “choice” that makes it essential that we use all of the tools and resources available to us to protect ourselves. This includes self-defence. An awareness of this lack of choice prompted my initial reaction.

Knowing that I need to take action and precautions to ensure that I do not become part of the one in two women who is likely to be raped in her lifetime is disempowering and frightening.

When I acknowledged that I supported the Premier’s proposal – although for completely different reasons – I also acknowledged that feeling afraid was something that I had become familiar with. The familiarity compounded my outrage. It is my right to live without the constant threat of sexual violence. It is my right to choose whether or not I should be trained in self-defence. That we live in a society that demands that women and girls are able to “protect” themselves against “drunken, feeble men” is an indictment on all of us.

Janine Moolman is the Editor ar Gender Links. 

This article is part of the GEM Opinion and Commentary Service that provides views and perspectives on current events.

janine@genderlinks.org.za for more information.