Violence continues against women

WOMEN in South Africa continue to receive the short end of the stick as more and more become the new victims of rape, abuse and domestic violence.

A young democracy, but a strong patriarchal society with a liberal human rights policy against convicted criminals, including rapists and murderers, SA is fraught with serious problems linked to domestic violence and the abuse of women and children, with rape said to be the highest in the world.

Since November 25, the country has been campaigning hard during the 16 Days of No Violence against Women.

MARLAN PADAYACHEE, a former member of the Durban-based Advice Desk for the Abused, reflects on some of the issues that made news in the past years.

In this post-modern world, the stoning to death of any human being, and not just a woman, is totally unacceptable, if not downright barbaric. A 31-year-old Nigerian single mother, Amina Lawal Kurami, has a boulder hanging over her head after she was condemned to death by stoning under Islamic sharia law. Her crime? She had sex out of wedlock.

Oil rich Nigeria has just emerged from 15 years of economic sanctions, military rule and dictatorship. Having walked on the pariah promenade like the infamous apartheid state, Lagos has been rewarded with the hosting of the Miss World pageant, a television spectacular that is bound to change the polecat image of this secular country.

Over the years Miss World boss Julia Morley has had to deal with some sticky situations, especially when the old South Africa fielded two candidates. Cape Town’s Pearl Jansen, a coloured, was a compromise candidate who draped the dubious “Africa South” sash over her stunning body. Her white counterpart paraded the official South African ticket on the same world stage.

Decades later, Nigeria, on the threshold of a major sound bite revolution, faces a TV blackout from some indignant contestants opposed to the planned stoning to death of Amina by 2004, once she has weaned her baby.

Inevitably, Nigerian President Olusegan Obasanjo, a former general decorated with the inaugural Africa Peace award in Durban 1993, has been drawn into this shameful scenario and is optimistic the appeal court will quash this sentence. Obasanjo is also a key player in President Thabo Mbeki’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad). Already, the ANC Women’s brigade has sent a strong signal to Tuynhuys that our silence will suggest that we condone the stoning to death of women who conceive a child out of wedlock.

Unlike his lukewarm stance on the death of democracy across the Limpopo, the African Union CEO is uncomfortable with the ruling by the Islamic lower court. Also, his MPs have stolen the march on the issue, cajoling him to act decisively and not diplomatically.

Sharia law is a complex issue. Obasanjo’s federal government has opposed the use of sharia in criminal cases. His regime is, however, powerless to act against the country’s mainly northern Muslim states that practice this law that also condemned Safiya Hussaini Tungar-Tudu, the first woman to be sentenced for adultery. Today, she is honorary Roman, after the world raised its voice for clemency and Italy granted her citizenship.

Call it a cattle parade or beauty stakes; the high profile status of Miss World could save the life of a shy, sad-eyed woman dressed in modest Islamic garb. The emancipated beauty brigade is willing to sacrifice fame and fortune so the plight of Nigerian women can be highlighted. The dazzling line-up of swimsuit-clad beauties is stridently putting their best feet forward to stamp out abuse against women.

Ironically, India is still grappling with the gang rape of low-caste women by high caste village overlords and the dreadful dowry system, in which the groom’s family terrorizes brides failing to bring a treasure trove of gifts.

Phoolan Devi became a legend in India and a village folk heroine after she pumped bullets into to high caste men who raped her, one by one, and was immortalized by Bollywood as the Bandit Queen. Her popularity took her to parliament and sadly, also a date with a vengeful assassin.

In Pakistan, six tribesmen who gang-raped Mukhtar Mai, 30, and were acquitted, will now face the hangman’s noose. Her crime? Her brother had illicit sex with a woman from a high status clan.