Women should fight gender violence
Mar 10, 2009
As the world celebrated Women’s Day on March 8, I could not stop thinking about gender violence and how it continues to eat into our society like a bug. Barely a day goes by without the press writing about this evil.
Prudence Nyamishana
As the world celebrated Women’s Day on March 8, I could not stop thinking about gender violence and how it continues to eat into our society like a bug. Barely a day goes by without the press writing about this evil.
Information from the Police and hospitals tends to underestimate the extent of violence because many cases of abuse are never reported. However, surveys of individuals indicate alarming rates.
The question is; who are the perpetrators of violence? The male chauvinists who batter their wives regularly. Violence stems from cultural beliefs that women are inferior. Unfortunately, many women seem resigned to this situation. Like the men, women can compete for anything in this world.
There are religious misinterpretations where some men just read a portion of the scripture that says a woman should be submissive to her husband. Yes, while they should be, men forget that the writer later turns to the men and asks them to love their wives as Christ loved the church.
Women have also contributed to gender violence in that they do not know their value. It is disturbing that when the Domestic Relations Bill (DRB) was tabled in Parliament, some women took to the streets to demonstrate.
It is also likely that the majority of women do not know what the DRB is all about. Women should open their eyes to the fact that they have rights to fight for.
Sadly, victims of domestic violence experience both short-term and long-lasting effects. While I appreciate the role of women legislators, some have totally forgotten about the women in rural areas and to this cause, we miss people like Miria Matembe who gave a voice to the voiceless woman.
While the Government has tried to bring out the value and potential of women, less has been done to curb gender violence. I draw this from the fact that culprits of gender violence walk free, while others are given mild punishments. It is, therefore, the responsibility of local leaders and community members to see that violence against women is curbed.
The women also have a role to play. They should know their rights and value to break free of violence.
The writer is a social activist
As the world celebrated Women’s Day on March 8, I could not stop thinking about gender violence and how it continues to eat into our society like a bug. Barely a day goes by without the press writing about this evil.
Information from the Police and hospitals tends to underestimate the extent of violence because many cases of abuse are never reported. However, surveys of individuals indicate alarming rates.
The question is; who are the perpetrators of violence? The male chauvinists who batter their wives regularly. Violence stems from cultural beliefs that women are inferior. Unfortunately, many women seem resigned to this situation. Like the men, women can compete for anything in this world.
There are religious misinterpretations where some men just read a portion of the scripture that says a woman should be submissive to her husband. Yes, while they should be, men forget that the writer later turns to the men and asks them to love their wives as Christ loved the church.
Women have also contributed to gender violence in that they do not know their value. It is disturbing that when the Domestic Relations Bill (DRB) was tabled in Parliament, some women took to the streets to demonstrate.
It is also likely that the majority of women do not know what the DRB is all about. Women should open their eyes to the fact that they have rights to fight for.
Sadly, victims of domestic violence experience both short-term and long-lasting effects. While I appreciate the role of women legislators, some have totally forgotten about the women in rural areas and to this cause, we miss people like Miria Matembe who gave a voice to the voiceless woman.
While the Government has tried to bring out the value and potential of women, less has been done to curb gender violence. I draw this from the fact that culprits of gender violence walk free, while others are given mild punishments. It is, therefore, the responsibility of local leaders and community members to see that violence against women is curbed.
The women also have a role to play. They should know their rights and value to break free of violence.
The writer is a social activist