As the annual 16-day focus on gender-based violence comes to an end and we are reminded by Marlan Padayachee (The Witness, December 10) of the pervasive presence of this epidemic, we need to confront ourselves with the reality that unless we invest seriously in understanding the causes for this crime we will have little reason to expect any difference in the prevalence when new numbers are released in 349 days’ time.
It is relatively easy to make speeches about the need to care for victims, but speaking about the causes, and why SA is ranked so highly in the prevalence of these and related crimes, is a topic that may offend many and will highlight the need for fundamental shifts in the way we think about gender, entitlement and social norms.
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