The undercurrents that perpetuate GBV

One prominent feature of globalisation is broader people networks, faster movement of people and flow of information, which was even accelerated further with the invention of social media, today’s necessary evil. 
Well, there is no doubt that young people struggle with screen time just as much as the adults, whether on smartphones or tablets and lately, smart TVs found their way into our living rooms and bedrooms. 

However, we can still agree that social media has exposed users to all sorts of information and misinformation, unfortunately. This comes in various forms; photoshop, audios, and videos, some of which carry graphic imagery. 
In one such video that made rounds on social media recently,  a man is seen flogging a naked pregnant woman while pouring water on her [pardon me if chills run through your body as you read this]. 

Akin to other such videos, voices of by-standers are heard in the background. It was not clear whether this was a couple, neither was the reason for the flogging. However, one thing I failed to comprehend was the level of humiliation and violation administered on this woman, moreover in her body condition! This space is insufficient to accommodate a debate on gender-based violence (GBV) given its complexities, especially within the context of family. Nonetheless, I will highlight two undercurrents that have perpetuated GBV in our society.  

First, the culture of silence. Many victims of GBV will testify hesitancy to report their ordeals, on account of many reasons: lack of knowledge of when, where and how to report; fear of their perpetrators and how they will react; being strong for their children or kin, over-dependency on their perpetrators for their livelihoods, among others.
 
In cases of sexual violence perpetuated by relatives or close family friends, victims may fear to report their ordeal to their parents. In other instances, it could be some sense of ignorance or confusion, which was revealed in a casual conversation with my colleagues at work, aged 25-30 years of age: where does one draw the line between poor anger management and violence that needs to be reported? Obvious as this may seem, it can be very confusing to the victim, especially given our chauvinistic cultural backgrounds where women are considered sub-ordinate to men. 
Experts and practitioners within the civil society space have raised concerns over inadequate support and protection rendered to women and girls by the Police and judicial system, which further suffocates attempts to report perpetrators. 

Second, gender power imbalance. We live in a society that is so historically and notoriously chauvinistic that it makes global news when a World Cup match is officiated by a female referee in the 21st Century! Last week, I wrote about the story of Gertrude Nalule’s rescue from the coolers by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja; which interestingly preceded the annual conference of magistrates. No doubt that the Ms Nabbanja performed a good deed with the right intention, though the means were not right. Another debate of good versus right. 
However, in the world of this poor widow, who reportedly almost lost her land to a money lender, Ms Nabbanja is a heroine. 

My point of reference to this story, at least as it was presented in the media, is not violence per se, but its vivid demonstration of the extent of power imbalance in our local communities, especially for the most vulnerable segments of women in society; widows, persons with disabilities and other under-privileged individuals. Such conditions render women powerless and voiceless, which makes them very vulnerable to GBV.   How then can we eliminate all forms of violence and torture against women, and by extension, any human being? There is certainly no silver bullet to this problem.  However, I will refer to Saint John Paul II, who widely taught about the centrality of the family as the cell of society. 

We learn from psychologists that the best stage of teach, and form morals and behaviour is 4-7 years of age. The family, therefore, creates the most ideal environment to socialise children into non-violent people.A facilitator at a workshop intimated to us that a mother’s laps is the first classroom for any child. Whatever they are told while seated on their mother’s laps may be difficult to unlearn years and decades later. 

Mr Bahemuka is commentator on issues of peace and society. 
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