The volunteer-led magazine with ever-changing voices exploring different perspectives on today’s rapidly-evolving world.
Every six hours a woman is murdered by their current or former partner. In South Africa every 17 seconds a woman is raped. Here more women are killed by male partners than in any other country in the world and 40% of women are said to have experienced physical violence while pregnant.
Despite national policy and international programmes – such as the United Nations Development Programme – gender discrimination and inequality persist all around the world, especially in the army.
In honour of women’s month and also on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Irma Stern’s death, it seems appropriate to focus on the work of one of the greatest female artists of South Africa.
‘You strike a woman; you strike a rock’. These words were sung in Pretoria and echoed nationwide on 9 August, 1956. Over 20,000 women filled the streets of the city, united by their rejection of the new pass laws proposed by the apartheid government. This day is celebrated as National Women’s Day.
South Africa has one of the highest incidences of domestic and gender-based violence in the world. Studies have shown that one in every six women in South Africa is regularly assaulted by her partner, and 36.6% of African women throughout the content have experienced domestic violence by their partners.
The AR Wear is also said to ‘offer some peace of mind in situations that cause feelings of apprehension, such as going out on a blind date, going on an evening run, clubbing, travelling in unfamiliar countries, and any other activity that might make one anxious about the possibility of an assault.’ So I should basically wear them all the time, since the danger of sexual assault is always looming around the corner. This seems extra relevant for me while volunteering in an ‘unfamiliar country’, so I think I’ll buy a pair of these on the spot.
Feminism has been on the map for more than a century and in many ways its relevance has never been more prominent. The Global Gender Gap Report indicates an improvement, yet we still live in a world where within the space of 10 years, 100 million girls are expected to be married off before their 18th birthday. We live in a world where 31 million girls of elementary school age remain out of school.
Women are proudly claiming that they are against feminism for the most absurd reasons. However, an analysis of the posts on WomenAgainstFeminism proves that most of these women are actually feminists, but simply choose not to call themselves that. Somehow, feminism has become a dirty word. I was shocked, to say the least, to discover that there are women who openly admit to not being feminists. Before this, I had naively assumed being a feminist came with the territory of being a woman. It was a wake-up call for me.
With nearly 140 million women worldwide living with the consequences of circumcision, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has defined FGM as ‘all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons’. This harmful practice is found extensively in 28 African countries. For instance, in Sudan, the rate of FGM cases is as high as 98%; whereas in Kenya, Togo and Nigeria it varies between 20% and 50%. It is also practised in communities of the Middle East, in Oman and even Emirates, and even Western Europe.
Even though August has been officially declared women’s month, the harsh reality is that South Africa has a terrible track record of domestic violence against women. Therefore, Sisters Incorporated is a much-needed women’s organisation working with abused women. The organisation teaches women about empowerment and self-worth and offers them guidance to repair their lives and to face a new violence-free future.
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