Furthermore, low levels of women education and economic independence, alongside with the general acceptance of violence as part of social life has made the attitude so firm in most societies, hence the serious need to ensure that men and women have a sphere of equal access.
Jane Godia, Deputy Executive Director, Africa Region Women in News, WAN-IFRA, an organization that works with journalists to undo the gender gaps in the media in the continent, during her visit to Tanzania, addressing the need for gender equality as a means to achieve a wholesome society, has an interview with The Guardian, shedding light on the challenges that face the fight to attain equal spaces, the excerpts.
Q: In East Africa or Africa, the larger part of it has been a challenge to establish a 50/50 environment in many dockets especially in politics -the women law makers are always lesser in the parliament, in the cabinet, judiciary, vice chancellors just to mention a few.
And the explanation has been that when women take position like vice presidents, PMs or Chief Justice are said that they are working in dockets or authorities that were created and shaped by men, so automatically they become part of the patriarchal system that furnished it, hence it is hard for them to change the arrangements.
Based on that background what do you think can be done to change the status quo?
A: To ensure gender equality, there is a need for attitudinal change. We must all understand that culture is not static and that it evolves and hence the days when men were leading everywhere are long gone.
Gender roles have also evolved and now things have changed and women have taken up roles that were previously designated for me. This means that in the world currently, women can also take up positions of leadership whether at global or national level as well as leading in organisations. It is written nowhere that leadership is preserved for me. It’s for society to understand that both men and women can be leaders and the qualities that each gender brings on the table are the same.
Q: What are your views on the issue that pressure caused by poverty has led to hundreds of women and girls particularly from the low income families in Africa to fall into the hands of GBV perpetrators at schools, in the communities, universities, politics, company CEO's and hiring managers?
A: Gender based violence knows no social status. It happens at high, middle and low class. Unfortunately, with the high class, the violence remains under closed doors and within the low class, which is in the slums, informal settlements and rural areas, the violence ends up being in public. One it is because of the way their houses are made and this does not allow for secrecy. Two, the poor are never shy to speak to the violence they are experiencing and often will always go and report, while the rich want to hide under the guise that everything is okay yet they are suffering.
Poverty will push one to do things such as put food on the table, buy a dress to hide their nakedness or simply to buy sanitary pads where there is none. While begging could be the easy way out, many will be forced to engage in sex exploitation to put food on the table or the people they are asking for help will ask for sex before they can give the assistance. It is a very complex situation.
Q: What do you think can be an alternative option for the destitute to survive in this African world?
A: The most important thing is that every child and especially the girl child must be supported to get education. They must also be supported with food during the time they are in school. They must be given simple things like pads and panties so they do not have to sell their bodies to get these stuff.
Most importantly, our governments must ensure that national budgets are gender responsive and address the needs of women, men, girls and boys. This way, where there is a lack of things like pads , food and clothing, are provided for at school level. There is also a need for governments to support education free from primary to university level. When education is expensive and becomes an expense to families, many will have their children staying at home and this puts the girls at risk of being preyed upon by people who will sexually abuse them.
Q:SGBV Perpetrators are said to have structural support for example at some universities professors are said will always say we can’t expel our colleague, a person with a PhD, a learned fellow, politicians will likewise say this is ours, similarly the employers will say we can’t expel and shame the learned CEO because of a ‘stupid girl like this.’ What can be done?
A: The society all over has always remained unfair to women and will always protect perpetrators of violence, whether at the family level or in institutions of learning. The fact that the students are sexually abused by the lecturers or one is sexually harassed by supervisors at the work place is a conversation that well need to have and create awareness on the fact that sexual harassment is a matter of safety because those who are survivors are intimidated and fear the perpetrators. The establishment of Kangaroo Courts makes it difficult for one to get justice.
Institutions must establish policies that guide how people relate and also how to deal with cases of sexual violence.
Those who are in these institutions must also know that they can report for them to get justice. If they cannot be supported from where they work, they can get support from other organisations like lawyers’ associations or human rights bodies. The most important thing is to talk about this and make it known that it is wrong to allow the issue of sex for marks to thrive in universities and also in work places.
It's wrong to sexually abuse someone’s daughter or wife who has come within a place where you have the power. It’s important that everyone’s human rights are respected and that the work place is made safe for all of us by being zero tolerant to sexual harassment.
We must change our attitude towards women and men in institutions and eliminate totally the issue of using colleagues or students as sex toys.
Q: Don’t you see that in order to succeed in handling the GBV cases it is time to resort to “independent bodies to handle these cases?
A: Getting independent bodies is not wrong but charity begins at home and all institutions must create safe workplace policies. And indicate that if one threatens the safety of a colleague or a student they will be dealt with.
They must also indicate to the students and workers that where they are not getting support, they can make reference to independent bodies for support.
Q: What do you think can be the composition of such bodies or these organs? For example, at the universities or at the workplaces what do you think can be the right persons to handle this matter?
These organisations can form a safe work place committee to handle these cases. These committees should be composed of representation from all departments.
Q: If you have done research, what are the current leading GBV incidents in East Africa or in Africa?
A: As WAN-IFRA Women in News we have not done any research on Gender Based Violence. The only research we have done is that of sexual harassment in media organisations. Our research indicates that sexual harassment is rife and that one in every two women has experienced physical or verbal sexual harassment mainly perpetrated by their supervisors.
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