So many cases of gender based violence go unreported or ignored due to societal taboos on the subject. Photo source: IPPF Africa
Gender roles in our societies are one of the major pillars of communal solidarity as well as societal norms and customs that have been adapted and adhered throughout generations. Although the whole ideology of gender roles in this time and age is frowned upon by many, I believe we have gained enormously as a community because of it. But there is a stain on the white robe. Abuse of power. Of course gender based violence affects both men and women, but basic statistics show that women experience abuse much more than men.
According to recent reports, Uganda has the highest number of reported gender based violence cases in East, Central and Western Africa with 60% of girls and young women aged between 13 to 24 years having experienced one or more types of violence in childhood. In the same report, 72% of Uganda’s young populations (aged 18–24 years) have also experienced one or more types of violence before the age of 18 while 25% of young women in Eastern Africa justify their situations of physical abuse from their husbands due to societal rules and customs.
Although there were no new official reports and statistics of gender based violence during the COVID-19 lockdown, the gender based violence advocates from the East African countries reported an increase in cases of domestic violence. For example in Kenya, the cases became too much that victims feared to come out and report; which made matters worse, because death cases from domestic violence became more prevalent throughout the country.
The Ugandan DHS reports that 56 percent of married women experienced physical and/or sexual violence from their current spouse or partner. The survey also reported that spousal violence was most common in relationships where the woman has a higher education level than her husband, alcoholism, and the woman being much younger than her husband. It has also been observed that spousal violence tends to be more prevalent in early marriages which connect to the fact that most women in Uganda are married by the time they reach 18 years and some even before the age of 15.
Children born in these households suffer the most. These children are neglected and experience a higher risk of both physical and mental abuse. Children that are exposed to house hold violence are also at a risk of developing violent behaviors themselves. This intergenerational quality of violence is particularly worrisome in light of the fact that violence is present in more than 50 percent of homes in Uganda. African culture and customs create a loop hole for most of these cases to go unrecorded and unpunished.
Cultural norms and customs in East African societies have enabled a loophole of obvious abuse hidden in plain sight and for all to see but not to speak about. Photo source: The standard
Causes and the Aftermath
The continuous cycle of murder of Kenyan women stresses on the worrying regularity of gender-based violence in East Africa. Activists have called for more government measures to protect women.
One of the cases that stood out was that of Rita Waeni, a 20-year-old student who was killed and dismembered in a short-let apartment in the capital, Nairobi. Days before, a popular Instagram figure Starlet Wahu, 26, was found dead in an Airbnb room, bleeding out from a fatal stab wound inflicted by a man she met online. They are only two of at least four reported gender-based murders in Kenya in years.
The high rate of violence against women and girls in East Africa has been considered to be maintained by the persistence of harmful gender norms, alcohol abuse and overall increased poverty, violence in urban slum areas and conflict areas. Partner violence and the fear of abuse prevent girls from refusing sex and jeopardize their ability to negotiate condom use. The region has a high prevalence of gender based violence which is emphasized by persistent harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child marriages.
In seven countries in the region, about 20 per cent of people aged 15 to 24 years reported that they had experienced sexual violence from an intimate partner. Sexual violence against early adolescents aged 15 years and below is highest in the conflict and post-conflict countries of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan. Women and girls with disabilities are estimated to be up to 10 times more likely to experience sexual violence, with a range of 40 to 68 per cent of girls with disabilities below 18 experiencing sexual violence. Fewer than 10 per cent of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 who experienced forced sex asked for professional help, due to fear, stigma, discrimination and a lack of services.
There is gender-responsive legislation over all the East African countries which specifically criminalize domestic violence. But sadly the legislation is often limited in scope and coverage or is not enforced. This leads to weaker emphasis in reporting cases of gender based violence in the regions.
The aftermath is usually serious emotional, mental and physical health consequences. Acts such as battering, rape, defilement, sexual harassment, Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriages, widow inheritance and verbal abuse among others are too prevalent and lead to serious health consequences especially for women and girls. The consequences aren’t only experienced by the women but throughout all family levels, children being the ones to take the biggest hit.
Socio-cultural values in many communities in East Africa have negatively influenced women’s freedom to express and share their experiences of gender based violence without ridicule. Photo source: UN women Africa
Attacking the Problem Head On
The ability to fight is not limited to a party but the entire community. This includes governmental organs, laws, and the society.
Education at every level is probably one of the strongest and one of the best key solutions to gender-based violence. Gender based violence is a learned behavior, which means it can be unlearned. Every other fighting tool is just an extension of education.
Women need to know their rights, how to report violence, and how to reject harmful gender norms. Men need to know how patriarchal structures create these harmful gender norms, and how their behaviors contribute to unhealthy dynamics. Communities need to know what gender based violence looks like and how to react when they see it. Facilitators need to know the root causes of gendered violence at a national, regional and community level.
Other factors include digging into the root of the problem which will in most cases have to do with social systems of marginalization and patriarchal structures of a given community (especially in some of the countries with the worst track records for women’s rights). This will help find better ways to address those systems and find sustainable alternatives for people of all genders and generations to break the harmful habits.
Other solutions include keeping girls in school, challenge communal customs and norms that are harmful to the victim groups, pay special attention to high risk groups, finding non harmful alternative means to harmful traditions, engage men as allies to fight against gender abuse and most importantly believing and supporting victims of gender based violence. Victims will be less terrified to open up and share their fears and experiences if we support them without judgment.
We can change the legislation, or improve access to services, such as preventative or post-violence care, but nothing will change if we do not influence the community. It starts from the grass root, governmental, religious and clan leaders. This engagement must be targeted, based on accurate analysis of the situation and supported by quality, disaggregated and globally comparable data.
Collectively, we must commit to making the world a safer place for women and girls and others targeted because of their gender identity. It’s a collective effort that is attainable and achievable with the right motive and a unified goal.
