Actions do speak louder than words
I don’t know about you, but I’m deeply, deeply sceptical of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Abuse campaign. It rolls around each year at this time. It began on November 25 and ends on Saturday, December 10, International Human Rights Day.
Of course the intentions behind it are good. But we all know the use to which those intentions are put on the road to hell.
Globally the campaign’s focus is on women. In South Africa, for reasons that are all too heartrendingly obvious for words, we have added children to the campaign. The aim, according to Brand SA’s website, is to “challenge South Africans to declare a truce on violence against women and children — and, ultimately, to make it a permanent one”.
Yet another triumph of hope over experience.
The website styles itself as “Gateway to the nation”, and was established in August 2002 to “help create a positive and compelling brand image for SA”. I could (but don’t) feel sorry for the hard job they have to do to achieve that, given our horrific rates of abuse against both women and children.
Not only do we continue to “enjoy” infamy as one of the rape capitals of the world, but our rates of child rape, murder and abuse in general must rank on top of the world as well.
Does Brand SA try to put spin on that? Of course it does. It says South Africa is “still home to high levels of violence against its women and children, despite a world-renowned constitution and a legislative overhaul that safeguard women’s rights”.
I would say that was putting it mildly — and disingenuously. I would describe the levels a whole lot stronger than “high”: horrific, appalling and completely unacceptable, to name but a few, and of course, probably even the highest in the world, come a little closer.
I heard a radio news report last week that there were 30 000 reported cases of child abuse in South Africa each year. Note that word reported — it does not include the many cases that go unreported. On its own, it works out at an appalling 82 cases a day.
The gateway to the nation website leaves out those and other uncomfortable but salutary details about just what constitutes our “high” levels of violence against women and children: murder and rape, including infant rape. Ditto for the government’s website.
A 2009 report compiled by Solidarity, South Africa’s largest independent trade union, said there were about 60 cases of child rape in the country every day, but that more than 88% of child rapes were never reported.
“This means that about 530 child rapes take place every day — one rape every three minutes,” spokesperson Mariana Kriel was quoted as saying at the time.
I haven’t read anything plausible in the interim to suggest much, if anything, has changed, so you can forgive me for having a very jaundiced view of such campaigns.
I would prefer actions rather than these words, concerted action on a daily basis, a complete, utter and irrevocable zero tolerance for the hellish abuse, rape, murder or any sort of violence visited on women and children — and men — in this beautiful country of ours.