I live in a nation where a
culture of sexual violence is deeply embedded in society. South Africa
currently holds the title of rape capital of the world. There is an estimated
stat that a woman is raped every 17 seconds in South Africa.
Let’s stop here for a
moment.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,RAPE,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,RAPE,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,RAPE,1,2,3,4,5……
When we hear of another
child that has been raped and then murdered we don’t think much about it, as
this has become the norm within our society. It is estimated that over 40% of South African women will be raped in their
lifetime and that only 1 in 9 rapes are reported. It is also estimated
that 14% of perpetrators of rape are convicted in South Africa. These
shocking stats need to become more than numbers or just another news headline for
us. The reality of the situation can so easily be swept under the rug, “it has
nothing to do with me”, “men are just horny and so sexually perverse”, “why isn’t
the government doing anything about this?” I’ve heard these kind of comments
thrown around many times. I fear we so easily detach ourselves from a problem until
it affects us, until it is our sister who becomes another number, or our
daughter who has to testify in court, against another “suspect”, “who couldn’t help himself”, “it’s part of his
culture”.. We often only find ourselves fighting against a pandemic if it
happens to push its way through our comfortable bubble called life.
A rape culture has infiltrated
our nation.
In a rape culture, people
are surrounded with images, language, laws, and other everyday phenomena that
validate and perpetuate, rape. Rape culture makes violence against women seem
so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable. Rather than viewing the
culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about
the persistence of rape as “just the way things are.” Rape culture is you and me accepting that
this is normal.
I don’t know about you, but
as for me, I don’t want to accept this as being norm in the nation I call home.
It’s time for us to open our eyes to the reality of the situation. It’s hard to
believe that we could upset such a culture, but it is worth a try!
A while ago I believed there
was no way I could make a change, but this is a lie, a lie that will keep each
one of us from playing the small part we can. Whether it be changing the way we
think, speaking against the norm, donating financially or materially to
organisations that are on the frontlines in rape care, praying for victims, etc.
There is a big need for financial aid to
support victims of rape. Below are links to three organisations I know of that are
doing amazing work to support rape victims in Durban, South Africa. Consider
donating or finding out how you can support them in their work.
