Browsing by Subject "gender-based violence"

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    Advancing the girl child movement: a potential mechanism to curtail sexual gender-based violence against women in South Africa
    (2019) Burn, Jessica Ashley; Corder, Hugh
    Violence against women is not a social ill which has recently emerged, nor is it an unexplored topic in the realm of feminist academics, activists and lawyers. Yet despite streams of published articles unpacking the issue and numerous campaigns aimed at raising awareness about and combatting the prevalence of violence against women, it continues to be deeply entrenched in all factions of society. Furthermore, the idealistic society envisioned by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 has not translated into reality and the rights enshrined in the supreme law have not dissipated incidents of violence against women. With the aforesaid in mind, this paper intends to contribute to the array of solutions already developed, in order to assist in countering the most extreme manifestation of patriarchy, sexual gender-based violence against women.1 As the time-honoured saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’ and in the same vein, a total reliance on the legislation and the legal processes in place to deal with the aftermath of rape, sexual assault and harassment, arguably have not and will not adequately address the root causes of these crimes. Hence, this paper contemplates a mechanism to strike at the core from which sexual gender-based violence stems, that core being the psychological entrenchment of male superiority and female inferiority - in other words, gender inequality. Overlooked prejudices against girls and women need to be brought into consciousness, to address them and break them down. If gender equality is sought, then we should be encouraging children to evaluate the status quo from a younger age and prioritise their role in re-imagining a society which values and promotes equality and dignity. Accordingly, it is submitted that a potential solution may lie in children’s human rights education (HRE), specifically aimed at promoting gender equality and deconstructing patriarchal beliefs and ideas about masculinity. HRE is not a novel concept and is promoted in international treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Child Convention), and has, in fact, already been implemented in schools in South Africa in order for the post-apartheid generation of children to strive towards racial integration and societal transformation. Unfortunately, it appears that the goal of gender equality has fallen somewhat to the wayside in the formulation of these HRE programmes. It is submitted that the UDHR and the Child Convention read together with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, as well at the African (Banjul) Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, support the advancement of gender equality through HRE programmes. In order to explore the possibility of developing HRE programmes in schools throughout South Africa with an underlying goal of advancing gender equality, empirical research was conducted in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation, Children’s Resource Centre, based in Cape Town, which has developed a programme called the Girl Child Movement (GCM). The GCM aims to use the creative energies of girls to help build and sustain a qualitatively better world for girls and women. The goal of advancing the GCM is acutely targeted towards preventing the pain, suffering, humiliation and dehumanisation of girls and women who are subjected to incidents of sexual gender-based violence, the war on female bodies.
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    All the (tricky) words: a glossary of terms on sex, gender and violence
    (Gender, Health and Justice Research Unit. University of Cape Town, 2014-01-01) Meer, Talia
    This glossary contains various definitions related to sex, gender and gender-based violence, accessible to young people, parents and educators. It also includes key South African laws that relate to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence. This glossary can be used by itself as a resource for understanding some of the more complex concepts and terms related to sexual health, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender-based violence. It can also be used in conjunction with the Tools for Talking Taboos classroom exercises.
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    Media Representations of Gender-Based Violence Against Black Women: A Decolonial Feminist Analysis
    (2024) Thusi, Khanyisile S; Boonzaier, Floretta
    Gender-based violence (GBV) is a well-known problem, with South Africa having one of the highest rates of GBV in the world. Additionally, South African media plays a role in how and what information about GBV is disseminated. This work looks at two case studies to investigate how the media represents GBV against black women in the South African context. It uses Decolonial Feminist theory to frame and contextualise current forms of violence against black women, to the colonial history of violence against them. This approach serves to call attention to the fact that GBV against black women does not exist simply as a problem of the present. Instead, there are narrative and physical continuities of the historical dynamics of power and domination against black women, that have founded GBV's present state, and which allow it to continue. These colonial narratives and the violences they perpetuate must be investigated in the various ways in which they may manifest themselves, such as through the media. This research draws to light the ways in which the media reinforces narratives that further marginalise black women, and in so doing, perpetuate black women and their bodies as sites of violence. The project explores how black women are decentred from their own stories and experiences of GBV, and how this decentring is normalised. It also seeks to further the work within Decolonial Feminism of conscientising society to the colonial legacies of violence perpetrated against black women. Finally, it poses questions concerning black women's positionality and safety within primary modalities of justice that exist within and from colonial structures of the law and criminality.
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    Staging difficult conversations: research-based catalyst scripts in educational spaces
    (2024) Steyn, Savannah; Baxter, Veronica
    I personally feel sometimes uncomfortable even addressing the issue when- if something happens at that moment in time, you don't respond, or you are caught off guard and you don't always go back to address it and do a confrontation and say “look this was uncalled for, or this is a form of”…it's almost as if or as if I would be, not scared but fearful of stepping on toes and labelling it for what it is. So, you just end up walking away. (Participant AA, 2022) Sensitive issues such as mental, physical and sexual abuse may be difficult to discuss and prove triggering for both youth and adults, due to the nature of the topic. Herein lies the quandary: how might adults engage in these sensitive conversations with young women and men without resorting to narratives that instil fear and judgment? Prevention education in schools may empower learners as well as provide them with the skills to navigate these volatile conversations. The use of innovative tools which promote critical thinking, reflection and empathy, can be achieved through an investigation of the topics as understood and experienced by those in conversation. This research investigates the use of research-based theatre practices and theatrical interventions used in educational spaces, to promote consciousness and advocacy amongst high school learners and educators. The theoretical analysis of these practices is considered alongside the findings of a fieldwork study, which used a research-based catalyst script, Boundaries, to create a framework on the topic of abuse, with educators. In considering pedagogical practices which seek to integrate learners' and educators' lived experiences and challenges into the curriculum, it will examine models and theatrical devices to gauge the aesthetic distance needed to ensure the psychological safety of participants, whilst they engage in these difficult conversations.
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    Tools for talking taboos: classroom exercises on sex, gender and violence
    (Gender, Health and Justice Research Unit. University of Cape Town, 2014-01-01) Moult, Kelley; Meer, Talia; Corral, Carmen; Mpofu-Mketwa, Tsitsi
    This book of classroom exercises can be used by high school educators to address foundational concepts around sexuality, gender and gender-based violence in a classroom context. Exercises are grouped into chapters that address the topics: (1) Gender, (2) Gender and Power, (3) Family Relationships, (4) Teen Dating, (5) Sexual Health, (6) Popular Culture and Media, (7) Sexual Orientation, (8) HIV, (9) Domestic Violence and (10) Sexual Offences. Exercises are in a variety of formats and use a variety of methods and each contains a comprehensive activity plan that educators can follow to address these complex issues in a holistic, interactive, accessible and non-judgmental way.