Sapa provides new info on the recent finding that a quarter of South Africa’s male population has raped someone-
Denise Robinson [of the Democratic Alliance party] said a Medical Research Council report released this week that found that one in four South African men had raped a woman or girl was “deeply disturbing”.
“Of equal concern is that roughly 10% of these men forced themselves on a victim before the age of ten.
“Appropriate attitudes and positions need to be taken by those in leadership positions,” Robinson said.
Robinson said respect for women had to be instilled in all men from an early age as one way of rectifying the “appalling” situation.
While Robinson’s statement and the proof that backs it up must be heard and responded to, as an outsider, we can’t help but see the DA’s political maneuvering. True, the ANC (national ruling party) isn’t doing much about the situation and maybe this is what it’ll take. But if the DA was first concerned about potential rape victims, maybe they’d take some steps to begin correcting the problem (like in the Western Cape where they can pretty much do as they please) instead of blaming the ANC government.
Unfortunately this is not a political problem but a cultural one. All parts of this continent still live under dogmas of male supremecy. Some take it so far that rape is legitimized within (enough of) the males of the culture, and no one has a place to stand against it except as being counter-cultural. But if an African does that, then they’re not a good, respectful, reverent African who obeys tradition. This is certainly not all cases and things are changing, but slowly.
Still, the government and judicial system, in particular, can and should do more- Like not granting teacher-rapists bail!
This is pretty typical, for one party to criticize another. It’s a tactic. What are you gonna do?
I’m incredibly sad to say that this is one of those issues, one of those things, that women will suffer through and cry out for justice, until power is bent and made to do right. We’ve seen many of those things in this country alone. Power eats itself, and it has to be reminded of the darkness and terror that they allow to be.
I think you’re right that this is cultural, but it’s also creational. I say that because this is one of the shitty broken things that has to be repaired. But it cannot be so until the eschaton, resurrection (or whatever you want to call it).
I feel like that is a useless thing for me to say. And yet it comes up out of such a deep place in me that I felt it needed to be said.
Agreed, but we can’t use the second coming as a way to do nothing.
No, we can’t. And I wasn’t. There are definitely ways to respond to this problem; especially since it’s a big one.
I suppose the direction I was going in was the one where we understand that people in power (e.g. the DAP) may not always see suffering in the right light.
It shouldn’t be any more accepted than it should be surprising.
In my opinion, it wouldn’t be nice. It wouldn’t make sense. There wouldn’t be any justice.
but wouldn’t that be nice…