Role of women in the war against gbv

“If you are going to fight Gender Based Violence. Fighting it. It doesn’t start when you see two opposite gender fighting, but it starts with you. How do you speak to other people? What do you say to other people and how do you behave or act around other people? How do you address other people and how do you respond to other people.”
― De philosopher DJ Kyos

In line with the recent International Women’s Day, I celebrate all women out there trying to actively participate in the fight. From those who educate us to those who rescue victims even those who try to calm the situation. We celebrate you.

First, GBV isn’t being battered. This is any of the many forms of abuse directed at an individual due to gender. It could be financial abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, or mental abuse. We should learn about all these forms of abuse because we’re probably victims of abuse.

Women are pretty social beings who become vulnerable with each other and could share to the most intimate levels. Whenever they chat, they share their experiences ranging from work, relationships, and menses to their goals and finances. In such discussions everything said is deeply analyzed and in turn, they point out signs of abuse or share their abuse experiences and when they realized it was abuse hence educating each other. women have a role to educate their fellow women and the community at large about GBV. According to Irish Times, troubled men talk to women who are closest to them e.g. mothers, wives, sisters, or confidantes. After understanding abuse, they should help their male counterparts who be abused without their knowledge.

As said above, women being social enables them to learn a lot from one person and pass the knowledge to the next. In the recent past, women have been known to show up for learning forums in large numbers. This earns them an educator’s role in the community.

Women generally may be more motivated to be empathic and thus may show higher levels of empathy (Klein & Hodges;2001)

A couple of studies suggest that women are generally empathetic. we could use this trait to the benefit of society by showing affection to both victims and potential victims.

Whenever one opens a forum on GBV, the first gender we think is getting abused is female. Females are more prone to physical abuse but men are more vulnerable to emotional abuse. This shows that at times we’re the abusers. It is recommended that people explore themselves such that they identify their deep mental scars and begin their journey to recovery. This helps reduce the negative actions we could be projecting on others while trying to protect ourselves. We are also encouraged to detach from the negative bits of our cultures.

In the 21st century, Gender roles have been put aside. It isn’t so new to see a female breadwinner or a stay-at-home dad. However, in some places today we still have the earlier gender roles being forcefully incorporated. For instance, people are being coerced to drop their corporate lives so that they maintain their defined roles. We’ve all heard the phrase “They think and act like women”. this is used on those who may not be as efficient as they are expected to be. Such phrases may be fun but abusive.

Generally, the role of women in curbing domestic abuse is derived from their natural attributes. They include prevention by psycho-educating the community on causes, red flags, and effects of abuse. It also entails being activists in movements against GBV, striving to heal, helping victims of abuse, pursuing courses that prioritize community development and mental health, molding kids in an ideal way to prevent GBV from leaking to the next generation, providing platforms for learning, and spreading love.

In conclusion, I urge us to know the traits of an abuser and learn the forms of abuse, its causes, and possible solutions. We should also celebrate those championing against GBV as we work on SDG 5. We are important and have the right to a quality life, therefore, we should report any form of abuse.

Written by Valerie Atieno – A Lapid Leader