Protect women and girls

Editor | Thursday March 18, 2010 00:00

But violence against women has been going on for so long that it has become a part of the culture of humanity - and a blind eye is turned on the various forms of it against womenfolk. Yet it can be prevented if humanity recognises it for the vile crime it is.

Every second a woman is raped somewhere in the world. By the time you reach this sentence more than 20 women and girls would have been raped around the world. Many more would have been assaulted, verbally abused or even murdered. For women, there is no place to run. They are discriminated against and humiliated in the home, the workplace, in sports, in the classroom and even in the hallowed church halls and courtrooms. Remember Reverend Mmoniemang Kgosiemang?

Remember Tshotlego Morama and Casper Semenya? When was the last time we heard that a man murdered or tried to murder a woman?  Why is it necessary to talk about gender violence?  Because it is a major health and development issue, with serious implications for coming generations as well as society in general. Eliminating this form of violence is essential for peace at home, in the church, the workplace and wherever there is humanity. Otherwise, whatever efforts we make towards human development are in vain.

It is time to put aside the cloak of denial that blinds us to thesuffering of women and girls. That cloak covers not only the perpetrators and those watching, but also the victims themselves. Many choose to suffer in silence until they are themselves killed by their tormentors or they become crippled or disfigured. Yes, there have been some gains. Rapists, for example, are now given stiffer penalties. But what happens to the woman batterer?

                                                                              Let's save the vultureWe need to build on the gains thus far made on the road to equality and bring an end to the torrent of daily violence that degrades women. The women who are the victims should not have to suffer in silence. We need to take notice, speak out and have laws that fully-protect women and girl-children. We carry in this edition a story about the danger faced by the vulture. It cannot be gainsaid that the vulture must be protected. Not just for our own good, but also for that of our progeny and many generations that will come after. As a nation we need to stand up and fight for the vulture. Let us teach our children, our neighbours and friends about the importance of preserving this very important bird. But government also needs to play its part. It is clear that farmers are frustrated by the fact that government will not compensate for damage caused by some wild animals such as hyenas. This may be because the hyena is not under any threat, but it's interaction with humans and domestic animals poses a danger to the vulture and other birds of prey, as farmers tend to poison their dead animals hoping to kill the hyena, inevitably poisoning the vulture. It is time government reviewed its policy on compensation. Furthermore, government should join hands with conservation groups such as Birdlife find better ways of dealing with the danger facing the vulture. Most importantly it must ban the use of Carbofuren and similarly dangerous substances.

                                                                Today's thought'Have you ever wondered which hurts the most: saying something and wishing you had not, or saying nothing, and wishing you had?'                                                                   - Unknown