One in Nine--Supporting Women Who Speak Out 

One in Nine--Supporting Women Who Speak Out

Waiting for the office to open yesterday, my two [male] co-workers and I were telling nyayas. At some point, the talk turned to the Jacob Zuma rape trial which is currently high profile news in South Africa. My colleagues joked about the trial, commenting wistfully that if only they were women, they would also try and make a lot of money by claiming some high profile figure had raped them. They say they don't believe Khwezi* was raped, or even that she has a real case. If she was, they argue, why did it take her so long to come forward? They listen to the evidence in the trial from a male perspective. What was she doing at this man's house at night? Never mind that she is a long time family friend. Never mind that interactions between men and women do not, by definition, necessarily end in sex. No, they argue, clearly Khwezi wanted to have sex with him or she would not have been at his house. And, if she really was raped, she would have reported it long back, not waited 10 years. Clearly, they say, this is blatant opportunism.

I listened to their arguments with horror and dismay. Here were two educated, employed, articulate men arguing with a logic of such domination and chauvinism. If this is how supposedly “thoughtful” men think, what chance does Khwezi stand? The People Opposing Women Abuse website reports that less than 2% of filed rape reports are false reports. As an indication of just how much stigma is associated with reporting rape, this is lower than the false reporting rate for other crimes. But if the attitudes of my colleagues are any indication, is it any wonder that rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence against women go so often unreported. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I know intimately the pain, fear and shame associated with talking about what happened. It is only now, 15 years after the fact, that I am beginning to think about telling my story, or reporting my perpetrator. I know the isolation of silence and denial. And I can understand why Khwezi would have waited so long to speak out.

But the drastic under-reporting of sexual assault does not help our cause as women. Rather, it allows men to deny the extent of the problem. This is what makes the actions of Khwezi, and others who do dare to tell their stories, so brave, and so important. As long as rape and crimes against women remain taboo subjects, men will never be forced to acknowledge the extent of these crimes, or to take responsibility for them. As long as there is such stigma and fear about reporting these crimes, there will always be men who question the allegations, who cite opportunism or jealousy as motivating factors, rather than recognising the seriousness of the violations which occur.

The bravery of Khwezi must be acknowledged and supported, regardless of the outcome of the trial. More and more women need to be encouraged to speak out. We must all challenge the silence around rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence. For as long as we remain silent about it, we collude in our own form of complicity. By allowing the crimes to go unreported, we enable men to deny the extent of the problem. Morevover, we isolate other women, by not affirming to them that they are not alone. Thus we prevent women from feeling the strength and support that solidarity can offer.

This is why I was so excited to learn about the One In Nine campaign currently being organised in South Africa. [The campaign name is based on the fact that, in South Africa, fewer than one in nine rape cases are reported to the police.] Their website is not yet fully functional, but they are developing a “Messages of Support” section, through which people will be able to send in their solidarity messages for Khwezi, and will be able to read others' contributions. Imagine the fear, the isolation, the nauseating dread of having to bear witness and give testimony as to how you were raped. One In Nine, and People Opposing Women Abuse have developed what looks like a well organised initiative to support Khwezi outside the court each day. Further, they are encouraging people to wear purple ribbons and to sign on to the petition of support. [This petition is not yet available on the One in Nine site, but you can also email carrie@powa.co.za for more information.]

Is there opportunism in this case? Perhaps. But if so, it is the strategic leveraging of a high profile case to raise awareness about the abuse of women. I cannot speak for Khwezi. But I applaud One In Nine, People Opposing Women Abuse and the other women's rights and social justice organisations which will rightly use the media coverage and public attention of this case to raise awareness about women's rights and gender violence.

-------------

*Khwezi is the pseudonym adopted by the woman brining forward the rape charges in the Zuma trial. It means “star.”

For more information read:

[link=http://www.agenda.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1185&Itemid=147 ]Zuma Trial: One in Nine Campaign [/link]

and visit:
One In Nine
People Opposing Women Abuse

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Comment Hi Acoustic Motorbiker, Thank you for your support for Khwezi and the One In Nine campaigners. Just one typo in your story : Khwezi did not wait 10 years to report the rape. I think it was 10 days. One In Niner, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, SOUTH AFRICA

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Comment To many psychologists, rape is not about sex; it is about power, particularly the attempt by powerless men to put some power into their lives. The rudeness, the sexual banter, and the impersonal lasciviousness are all signs of emotional immaturity in the men. Shaming a man by accurately noting his adolescent sexual immaturity is a far more effective way of stopping/correcting the predatory sexual behavior than attempting to shame him for acting like a man. Sexual rudeness to a woman is often a sign of sexual immaturity in the male's psychology.

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