You would think with the pandemic and economic downfall in our country that gender-based violence wouldn't be trending on social media or protest of its awareness being at the top of our priorities in South Africa or being amongst those priorities to even begin with but in South Africa, the pandemic is the least of our worries.
I mean the problem has reached a level that cannot be ignored, I don't think ‘problem’ is even the right word to use to explain our situation. It shouldn't even be considered a topic that can be ignored. It's not even a national problem, it has reached further corners than our country.
The news of gender-based violence has reached other countries, they continue to protests for us and for those who say " mind what happens in your country and leave others to their", your thinking is narrow-minded. It's plain simple humanity to care about others whether in your country or not.
Are we that bad that countries need to fight for us all over again like we're back in the apartheid regime? Are we that deep in the ground that our own fellow South Africans turn a blind eye because of this crime, this inhumanity has not happened to them or does not concern them?
Some even treat GBV as if it's normal as if it’s an everyday matter that will eventually quiet down or go away but that's the problem, it's not going to go away. I'm happy that videos and pictures are being posted, I’m happy that social media is a key in this equation but that's not enough.
" Yes, I shared the link", is not enough.
Or posting a picture with a GBV caption is almost enough to catch attention but almost is not enough.
Because the hashtag Am, I Next should not be a trend.
The hashtag of she did not deserve this shouldn't trend, the hashtag GBV shouldn't trend, it shouldn't even exist at all. It doesn't matter what a girl wears, what she says, how she says it or what she's seen as. A whore, a drunk. These titles should not matter, it's still wrong whether she's a side chick or not.
These classifications shouldn't dictate what happens to the person.
A woman shouldn't be afraid to leave the house, a child shouldn't be afraid to greet their uncle. A child shouldn't have nightmares because of what a loved one did to them, or their mom, or aunt or even sister just because of what happened a few doors down the hall.
The idea of equality had been forgotten, rights are being violated and we cannot keep blaming the government. Yes, they should bring change but we make them these fictional superheroes, we expect too much from them as we should but that doesn't mean we shouldn't help them along the way.
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