Tackling violence against women in Africa
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Every day, many African women fall victim to different forms of violence, many suffer in silence because of cultural and religious practices that see women as inferior beings.
News recently broke about the brutal murder of 22 years old Karabo Mokoena by her boyfriend Sandile Mantsoe in South Africa. This would not be the first time such violent crime against a woman will take place and from news report for a few years now, this is becoming a regular trend. Although Karabo has been buried and her alleged killer awaiting trial, it is sad to say that this is by no means a one-off situation.
In Africa, violence against women is something to worry about as it is common place with very little done by the governments. It is more complicated with different cultural practices that give little or no respect to women.
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According to a 2015 World Health Organization study, millions of women around the world experience domestic violence but African women are the most affected.
This study although from the WHO will still be an understatement because not all cases of violence are properly reported and documented. For example, wife beating is still something that can be accepted so long as the husband has a justifiable reason to do this, so one can find a person who is seemingly educated doing this to correct an erring wife. For instance, Nigeria has one of the highest rates of violence against women with very few reporting to appropriate quarters until in most cases the victims get badly injured or just pay the highest price-Death.
With all the series of reported cases daily on social media, whether it be physical, psychological or sexual abuses, the ripple effects on both the receiver and witnesses can never be over emphasized. The trauma throughout their lives is something to worry about and what these victims’ future and behavior in society will be.
It is now time for African leaders to pay much more than lip service to tackling all forms of violence against woViolmen. The society must be made to respect the dignity and rights of all women. Nations in Africa should and must make a conscious effort to implement the United Nations conventions on the prevention of violence against women by dealing with all religious and cultural practices that encourage violence against women.
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