Confronting the scourge of sexual violence against women and children

THE cries of South Africans continue to echo into an abyss of indifference. Women and children are persistently subjected to sexual violence, molestation, and countless other forms of abuse, often at the hands of those who are supposed to protect them: fathers, mothers, teachers, brothers, uncles, and guardians, etc.

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Yet, these cries go unheard. Too many women, too many children, with far too many becoming nothing more than statistics; victims of the 'monsters' lurking not in dark alleys, but in the hallways of their own homes, schoolyards, churches, and university campuses.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, however, for many, it feels like just another month on the calendar. In a society where 'monsters' walk freely among us, where they roam corridors at schools, workplaces, and even homes, these awareness initiatives feel wasted.

They are seemingly just reminders of the systemic failures that allow men to act with impunity, and women and children to continue to bear the burden of violence. This is not an awareness problem; it is a justice problem, and no institution is exempt.

A critical yet unaddressed question is, from whom does society need protection? The answer is clear: protection from violence, harm, and the very forces that men, as the primary perpetrators, perpetuate.

This raises a further paradox, when men position themselves as protectors, who are they protecting, and from what? In most cases, they are protecting women and children from other men.

Yet, framing men as society's defenders places power in the hands of those who are themselves frequently the source of violence. Notably, men do universities, meant to be sanctuaries for education and growth, often become hotbeds of violence and sexual exploitation? The systemic failure to provide safety is a glaring indictment of a society that continues to value the protection of perpetrators over the protection of victims and survivors.