Gender-based violence in Africa: Challenges and elimination

Gender-based violence (GBV) knows no borders, whether in Africa, Asia or across the globe. Women of the entire world face some form of violence against them, inequality and inequity in their lives. So gender-based violence remains a critical human rights and public health crisis. Research indicates that nearly 45 percent of women across 25 sub-Saharan African countries experience at least one form of intimate partner or non-partner violence in their lifetime.

Common forms of violence
The common forms of violence are emotional abuse (roughly 31 percent) and physical violence (roughly 30 percent), the most frequently reported types, followed by sexual violence (around 12 to 18 percent). Women living in rural areas, those with primary or no education, and young women aged 25 to 29 face the highest vulnerability. A third of young women in East and Southern Africa experience gender-based violence before or during their time in tertiary education, studies revealed.

Drucila Fernandes, a civil society organisation representative in Uganda, said, "Harmful cultural practices like child marriage, early childbearing, and female genital mutilation (FGM) continue to restrict bodily autonomy and long-term health agency in many communities. Entrenched cultural expectations and gender roles frequently position men as dominant controllers, leaving women, girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals at higher risk of abuse, as the root causes are patriarchal norms."

While contacted, Edith Meireles, a professor at Lagos University, Nigeria, said, "Poverty and conflict push women to economic dependency; regional war and political instability compound the frequency and severity of violence. While roughly 65 percent of sub-Saharan countries have domestic violence laws, only about 37 percent have comprehensive legislation covering physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse, and enforcement remains chronically weak."

"Women and girls with disabilities are estimated to be up to 10 times more likely to experience sexual violence, with a range of 40 to 68 percent of girls with disabilities below 18 experiencing sexual violence. Fewer than 10 percent of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 who experienced forced sex asked for professional help, due to fear, stigma, discrimination and a lack of services," Edith added.

Background of gender-based violence
Different African institutions mentioned that gender-based violence poses a significant global threat to human rights, public health and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is a growing emphasis on research to identify issues and understand the experiences of women relative to gender-based violence, experts observed.

Resina Machel, a women's rights defender in Ghana, said, "The increasing demand for policymakers and public health practitioners to adopt evidence-based approaches in addressing GBV highlights the need for research prioritisation. Gender-based violence is a universal phenomenon. Globally, one in three women experiences either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence during their lifetime."

GBV ranges from physical, sexual, emotional and other family violence to female genital mutilation, child marriage, early childbearing, trafficking and sexual violence as a weapon of war, the World Health Organization mentioned in its report.

Violence against women is pervasive, including in digital spaces. Worldwide, data from the Economist Alliance Unit indicates that 38 percent of women with internet access have personally experienced online violence.

Nevertheless, women's agency, especially among young women, and decision-making over their bodies is still limited. The latest data show that globally, only 55 percent of married or in-union women aged 15 to 49 make their own decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights. Analysis of data from 57 countries, including East and Southern Africa, shows that while women seem to have the most autonomy in deciding to use contraception, only three in four women can decide on their own healthcare or say no to sex, UNFPA highlighted.

Gender-based violence is a human rights violation and is the result of structural, deep-rooted discrimination, which requires legislative, administrative and institutional measures and reforms, including the eradication of gender stereotypes. So UN Women recommended governments implement international agreements like CEDAW and other global treaties, protocols and conventions.

Gender-based violence during COVID-19 pandemic
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging reports have shown that several types of violence against women and girls have intensified. Although the COVID-19 pandemic claimed the lives of many, the pandemic's disproportionate impact on women's and girls' socio-economic welfare threatened to reverse the hard-won gains in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment.

There have been reports of abuse such as intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, child marriage, female genital mutilation, domestic and sexual abuse of women and girls, which are exacerbated particularly under lockdowns.

In addition, with online learning, cases of online abuse, harassment and exploitation of children have been on the increase. However, the dearth of well-documented gender data remains a key challenge towards the rollout of comprehensive and systematic gender-based violence and COVID-19 response and recovery efforts, the reports precisely narrated.

Elimination of gender-based violence
This is the moment to stand up against gender-based violence and double down on stakeholders' commitment and actions towards preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls, once and for all, the World Bank significantly emphasised.

Through a mobile message, upon request, Dr Chantell Witten, Director, Health Systems Strengthening, ILIFA Labantwana, South Africa, said, "Gender-based violence in many of our resource-constrained contexts in Africa is underpinned by toxic masculinity modelled on outdated and unfair cultural norms that favour men. Layered on this is the oppressive constraints of poverty that strips men of their dignity. Men mete out violence in their private spaces to feel powerful. In spaces where there are sufficient resources and dignity, violence is not a feature."

South Africa experiences some of the world's highest levels of gender-based violence, with the rate at which women are killed five times higher than the global average. Though South Africa had "declared gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis" in 2019, according to UN Women.

Stalking is another form of gender-based violence that involves persistent and unwanted attention or surveillance, causing immense fear and distress to victims. Human trafficking and exploitation represent some of the most extreme forms of gender-based violence, stripping individuals. Sex trafficking forces individuals into commercial sexual exploitation, while forced labour and organ trafficking violate their fundamental rights and reduce them to commodities in an illicit global trade, human rights activists at some East African university campuses pointed out.

According to the Sustainable Development Goals Target 5.2.1: Eliminate violence against women and girls. Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. In fact, all the SDGs are interlinked with each other. So all states must act together with proper national, regional and global cooperation, integration and comprehensive efforts so that no woman is left behind to face violence.

Climate change, environmental crisis, health inequalities, food insecurity, drought, water scarcity, among others, are also responsible for increasing violence against women not only in Africa, but also in Asia and other continents. Women's rights are human rights. So ensure all the human rights of women and girls. And make an environment-friendly family, society and world for them as well.

Invest properly as a priority in nutrition, health services, higher education and employment for girls and women irrespective of race, colour and states. Women are the key to food security. But unfortunately and unnecessarily, more women than men face hunger, poverty and food insecurity. So considering their human rights, logically all the women of the earth must access enough food to survive. And to stay free from violence against them unconditionally, stakeholders recommended.