We may all have seen a sickening video of a young man bashing a girl senselessly, that made rounds around social media especially WhatsApp. The young man, visibly in a fit of anger, was beating up this girl whilst holding to her braids. Despite countless begging from the other girl who was recording the video the young man did not seem to want to stop this bashing. Why does a young man find it fit to beat up a woman who is not even retaliating?
In African societies beatings have always been viewed as the best disciplinary action. Even our own government still has a law that allow lashing of underage offenders. Is violence always an answer to wrongdoing or is it just another case of fighting fire with fire? As a child is raised in an African family, the parents commonly beat the child up as a corrective measure. As the child grows a principle of using violence as a disciplinary measure is instilled in the him/her. Basically when he/she starts a family, they will carry on the culture and beat up their own children. Lets pause right here.
The African society has for time infinite embraced the culture of patriarchy. The male members of the family are the leaders. They are the ones who lead family meetings and lobola (dowry) negotiations. Most chieftainships are claimed by the male members of the families even if there female siblings who are way older than them. This all boils down to the fact that, in African societies, men are superior. Christianity which is one of the most embraced religions in Africa also gives some points that prop up patriarchy. Jehovah is described as the Father therefore claiming that the Creator of all is male. Pause.
If our society already embraces violence and demands that women be submissive to men, what’s to stop a young man from thinking that it is right for him to beat up a woman? We have already cultivated the culture in him and human relations always has conflicts. The government may have passed a law that protects women but that still remains a corrective measure. Why do we not have preventive measure? Why not introduce a topic in schools on Gender Based Violence? There cannot be a situation where young people live with the illusion that they are not equal until they get to study gender at university. Children need to be groomed to know that it’s not right to fight and most of all to beat up women.
This culture can never be removed from older people or married couples. It has to start with a generation that does not embrace violence at all. In this age of promoting women empowerment we cannot afford to have double standards. Giving an illusion of power to the women whilst we are still shattering their self esteems.
Image Credit: TransConflict
