Kananelo Mosenogi.
In our community, the ghosts of gender-based violence haunt our homes, our streets, and our hearts. These silent ghosts strangle our potential, terrorize our dreams and choke our hope.
Yet, in the darkness of silence, with masks of happy faces, these ghosts thrive within us. Tsholofelo’s story resonates with the devastating impact of gender-based violence, which, in her case, resulted in the loss of her father and severed ties with his family.
This harrowing experience highlights how GBV can snatch away not just lives, but also identities. The survey I conducted revealed that GBV is a phantom lurking in the shadows, stealing from humanity. It silences victims, emboldens perpetrators, and leaves scars that can never fully heal.
The imprint of GBV on Tsholofelo’s life reveals the insidious, wide-ranging consequences of this ‘ghost’. From trauma and self-doubt to broken families and severed cultural ties, gender-based violence leaves no part of human existence untouched.
As Tsholofelo’s story highlights, GBV isn’t just a momentary act of violence. It’s a persistent specter that haunts us long after the bruises fade. It steals the things that make us human. As the tentacles of GBV reach deeper into our society, they ensnare our children, and we’re left with a generation of ‘living ghosts.’
Children grow up with wounds that never quite heal, a fear of connection or commitment, a lack of trust and an inability to process emotions. Despite widespread condemnation of GBV, the survey i conducted on my Instagram revealed a staggering lack of organizations or initiatives dedicated to solving this issue.
It seems that, as a society, we’re content with hashtags and lip service, but unwilling to commit real resources and effort to combat GBV or even participate as a team to fight it because hundreds of people just viewed the poll of the surveys conducted and did not participate, until a life is lost.
This inaction, this silent complicity, is perhaps the most insidious ghost of all. We stand before a moral mirror, forced to confront our collective failure to truly confront GBV. The weight of this ghost, the accumulated pain and suffering caused by GBV, threatens to crush us under the burden of our inaction.
So how do we exorcise this specter? How do we reclaim the humanity that GBV steals from us? The answer lies not just in treating the symptoms, but in addressing the root causes of GBV.
This means dismantling the structures that uphold patriarchy that perpetuate harmful gender norms, that enable abusers and silence victims. Even in societies that claim to value equality, deeply ingrained beliefs about gender roles and power dynamics persist, making it challenging to uproot.
Despite these challenges, there are signs of progress. Feminist movements have challenged these traditional gender roles and pushed for legislative and societal changes.
However, there is still a long way to go. To address gender-based violence, we must recognize the interconnectedness of individual trauma, societal beliefs, and structural oppression. In this context, our goal should not be to simply punish perpetrators, but also to seek healing and reconciliation.
Only then can we begin to free ourselves from the ghosts of our past and build a future rooted in compassion and respect for all. The road to a society free of gender-based violence will be long and arduous, but it is a journey we must take.
For too long, we have allowed the ghosts of patriarchy to haunt us. Our pursuit of healing and justice cannot be limited to personal experiences, nor can it be siloed from the larger societal issues.
Gender-based violence is not just a series of isolated incidents, but rather a symptom of deep-seated power dynamics that allow violence against women to thrive. To eradicate this epidemic, we must dismantle the structures that sustain it, from unjust laws to harmful cultural norms.
