The scourge of gender-based violence and male hegemony

In the context of the International Day against Violence against Women, commonly referred to as ‘16 Days Activism against Gender-Based Violence’, to be held from November 25 to December 10, it is opportune to reflect on the far-reaching implications of this scourge.

Worldwide an estimated one in three women experiences physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime by virtue of being women.

Among the 612 victims of sexual offences in Mauritius in 2022, 92.8% were female, 59.5% were aged below 16 years, 59.0% were students, 26.5% had a family relationship with their offenders and 73.0% occurred in private households.

Gender-based Violence (GBV) is multidimensional both in its causes and consequences, and is very often neglected because most victims, perpetrators and even enforcement officers fail to identify the ‘gender component’. It is viewed and understood as any other form of violence and is left into the hands of enforcement officers who address these as a routine case of embezzlement, battered person, ill-treatment or family broil. GBV is not pointed out, essentially because of the scant or negligible understanding of gender attributes of violence.

Very often GBV is equated to domestic violence and we are inclined to shield it under the Protection from Domestic Violence Act of 1997, which has been amended several times to make the sanctions more severe. However, not all GBV cases stem from ‘domestic’ roots and we tend to circumvent its intrinsic and unnoticed and yet fundamental impediments to alleviate sufferings of the afflicted.

The commonalities are indeed plausible, given that the majority of the victims are women, living in ‘domestic’ surroundings. Among the 612 victims of sexual offences in Mauritius in 2022, 92.8% were female, 59.5% were aged below 16 years, 59.0% were students, 26.5% had a family relationship with their offenders and 73.0% occurred in private households. Out of every 100 convicted detainees admitted to prison in 2022, 97 were male and 3 were female. Most of the cases reported are those committed by the spouses and partners.

Worldwide an estimated one in three women experiences physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime by virtue of being women. According to the World Bank, globally, as many as 38% of murders and sexual abuses of women are committed by an intimate partner. However, these figures do not consider GBV cases that are not reported and that are culturally and socially accepted as normative.

In many societies, GBV takes a shocking variety of forms in addition to intimate partner violence: non partner sexual violence, gang rape, sexual exploitation, abuse, trafficking, feminicide, child and early marriage, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment, cyber bullying, amongst others. Unfortunately, in many cases, male perpetrators go scotfree due to cultural and institutional biases.

GBV in the world of work also goes unnoticed and is implicitly tolerated out of fear of losing jobs or of being vetoed of promotion. Bullying, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate touch by male colleagues, including threats and unwanted comments on pregnancy and female physiology are few of the scourges that undermine the health, dignity, security and autonomy of female co-workers, yet these remain shrouded in a culture of silence – which sociologist Bourdieu calls “female aesthetic capital.”

Patriarchy has reinforced the officious status of men and the hegemony of men over women. A radical mindset shift is needed to challenge deeply ingrained sociocultural stereotypes. Any effort to address GBV would falter if men are not convinced themselves of the unfair treatment to women. A strong advocacy effort is needed to enlist the participation, involvement and engagement of men in the development of a new paradigm, adopting Transforming Masculinities Approaches that would shift social norms that subordinate women and girls and condone GBV and that would ultimately put men and women at par and on the same footing.

The Gender Equality Foundation also recognises the potential of all those men who do not condone GBV and invites them to join forces to sustain this campaign against GBV beyond the 16 days. Acting together to end GBV in Mauritius is the only way forward!