Tinderbox for domestic violence

In many countries where there was a lockdown sadly enough, we could notate an increase in domestic violence.

Once more South-Africa may dare to crown the crown here. It looks like those men over there want to blame women for all the difficulties and to be the source of infections. For many, this corona pandemic is used to get rid of their wife(s).

South African men often hold patriarchal views about women, seeing them as inferior. In a country with dramatic crime rates, women fear not only a lack of social equality but also for their safety. The high rate of unemployment and economic inequality, especially in the post-pandemic era, have created a tinderbox for domestic violence. Police say the end of the nine-week ban on alcohol sales contributed to a spike in crime and gender-related violence directed at women and children.

South Africans are simmering with anger over the ugly trend of violence against women — an old story in the country, which has been struggling with femicide for decades. However, the rash of post-coronavirus violence has revitalized the movement. The hashtag #StopKillingWomen trended on social media, with thousands of users condemning the increasing rates of violence against women and calling for justice.

Twenty-one women and children have been killed in recent weeks, said President Cyril Ramaphosa while responding to the issue in a televised presidential address. That figure is likely to be an underestimate, counting only prominent victims.

> Read more:

• After Lockdown, Femicide Rises in South Africa
• America’s Disdain for Black Lives Extends to Africa