Some of the country's cultural practices need to be unlearnt to root out the scourge of gender-based violence at campuses.
Higher education and training deputy minister Buti Manamela was speaking to Durban University of Technology students at the 10th anniversary of the Silent Protest, a gender-based violence (GBV) awareness campaign, at the university.
“We need to unlearn some cultural notions that suggests we are entitled to women’s vaginas or males are entitled to any woman as long as they are able to provide for them,” said Manamela.
He said there should not be an instance where a man has a right to a woman’s body or a man’s body.
“We have to unlearn this. The fact is many of our cultures have a rite of passage that affirms boys as males. That affirmation somewhat passively and informally gives males the rights to women's bodies. Our campuses are a reflection of what happens out there in society or in our communities,” said Manamela.
He said these practices are a consequence of what was learnt from traditional and religious doctrines.
“There are people who have been given an ability to heal as traditional healers and believe they have a right to the female body,” said Manamela.
He told how he had been made aware of an incident at Durban TVET college in which a manager had breached the trust of students through sexual harassment.
“We need to unlearn all of this. You are not entitled to a woman’s body in exchange for marks. As the SRC you are not entitled to a woman’s body in exchange for student accommodation,” said Manamela.
The event was staged in collaboration with Higher Health, a national body that acts on behalf of the department to facilitate health, wellness and psychosocial services to about 2-million students at tertiary learning facilities.
An emergency services student, Sandiseni Madela, who is part of the LGBTI student community, said some faced threats of sexual assault based on their sexual orientation.
Madela said some of these alleged abusers show scepticism about the sexual orientation. “Some abusers act on those threats and tell women they will give you what you are missing out on,” said Madela.
A university official, Thembelihle Fihleni, urged female students to support one another in the face of constant threats of GBV. She said an incident of an alleged gang rape of a female at the hands of eight men about five years ago weighed heavily on the student.
She said while the student had positively identified them, they weren’t prosecuted for lack of evidence.
“It’s always strange because parents never really know what happens on campuses. That is why we encourage sisters to always be on the lookout for each other. You must never go out with your friends and at the end leave them to their own devices,” said Fihleni.
Ethekwini municipal councillor Sizwe Mthethwa said with GBV being a societal problem, the solution to fighting the scourge needed to be driven by the community.
“There needs to be a collective effort. I am confident with the united front similar to what the Fees Must Fall activists did, then this can be eliminated from the society. One death is too many if it arises from GBV,” Mthethwa said.
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