Education is strongest weapon against GBV

Sex and consent education is a national imperative

- MANDISA MAKHAYE

PRETORIA woke up this month to yet another tragedy. The killing of two women whose lives were cut short because of violence perpetuated by a man. Their names now join the endless roll call of victims whose blood stains our conscience. The public outrage will, predictably, flare and fade. Hashtags will trend, vigils will be held, and then the country moves on silently, until the next woman's name trends for the same reason.

But beneath that silence lies a deeper sickness, one that our universities, communities, and institutions quietly reproduce every day. When such tragedies become predictable, it’s a sign that the problem is no longer episodic. It’s systemic.

South Africa is not merely facing incidents of violence; we are living through a pandemic of femicide and sexual victimisation.

In research we have conducted in KwaZulu-Natal’s universities, we found that that between 20 and 25% of female students experience sexual assault during their studies, yet most never report it.

The perpetrators are not strangers lurking in dark alleys, they are classmates, lecturers, boyfriends, and supervisors. In other words, they are us.

What happens on campuses mirrors what happens in our neighbourhoods and homes. As we have found, universities are microcosms of the larger community, carrying with them the patriarchy, alcohol culture, and moral indifference that encourage gender-based violence (GBV).

Therefore, what transpired in Pretoria is not a mere outcome of a momentary rage but a result of decades of socialisation that normalises male dominance and female submission.

One of the most disturbing findings from recent South African research we have conducted is not only the prevalence of violence but the silence that follows it.

Our research describes what we have called “suffering in silence”. This is a rational choice made by victims who have lost faith in the justice system and their institutions.