Activists say GBV survivors are less likely to come forward, because SAPS is not “victim-oriented”

Amnesty International SA (AISA) has aimed to unpack and debunk common misconceptions about Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in a series of online events. This series forms part of their ongoing campaign #InterruptGBV, the basis of which is to challenge harmful stereotypes about victims and survivors and to start conversations about what needs to change to curb the exponentially high rate of GBV in our country.

The final event in the series was held on the 31st of March via Zoom and Facebook Live. It addressed the myth that GBV allegations are often false or made-up by survivors. The event was organised and facilitated by AISA Activism Coordinator Rejoyce Makhetha, who was joined on the panel by two fellow activists.

The prior events tackled the myths that men perpetrate these crimes because they are unable to control themselves and that victims and survivors are “asking for it” because of what they were wearing at the time of the assault.

Alwande Khumalo, the chairperson of Amnesty International at Wits University, brought forward the point of a huge discrepancy between the South African constitution, one of the most progressive in the world, and reality of our justice system, which continually fails to protect and defend victims.

She says the “innocent until proven guilty” mentality of the justice system has double standards. “It continually protects perpetrators, but condemns survivors (who come forward) as guilty of lying until they are proven to be telling the truth.”

Phumelela Cacela, the secretary from the Nelson Mandela University of Amnesty International, says the problem starts with the first place survivors often turn to: the police. Police officers may dismiss reports of GBV or not take them seriously. She claims that since the police officers who handle GBV reports are not psychologically trained to deal with such emotionally heavy crimes, there is a lack of emotional support for survivors who come forward.

“The government needs to realise that GBV should not be equated to other crimes like theft. You can’t have the same police officer taking statements for a stolen phone and then dealing with someone who has just been violated”.

The speakers closed off the event by summarising their stance: “SAPS is not victim-oriented. This is why so many women choose not to report their cases, because that is a trauma in itself.”

Demand justice for GBV victims by signing AISA’s petition to #InterruptGBV: https://amnesty.org.za/action/demand-justice-for-gender-based-violence-victims/?fbclid=IwAR3N_bS0zF-w0TvVPnj9nCu29jPEP4spQHzSEc1P-Pzrmj-PY6jyYDGdJDM

REFLECTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE:

I chose this event, because it is extremely relevant with regards to the high level of GBV in our country. I liked the layout of the event, because it attempts to simplify and break down the convoluted and pervasive issue of rape culture to the roots of the problem. Addressing misconceptions about GBV is an effective strategy to reach survivors who may need support and information, as well as people who may be unknowingly perpetuating rape culture.

I chose to focus on this angle of criticising the justice system, because it’s a fresh perspective to the topic of GBV. It can be overwhelming to see all the headlines featuring statistics of how bad it is or describing what happened to victims. I thought it could offer a hopeful alternative for audiences to read about activists who recognise where these issues stem from and are speaking out against institutions of power who are failing to do their jobs of protecting citizens.

Since the article deals with activism and the event had representatives from various universities, I think it would be most relevant for people or organisations with an interest in human rights and/or university students.

According to the news values established by Galtung and Ruge (1965), this story meets the value of “composition”, as it focuses on a positive initiative to combat the negative issue of GBV.

Even though SAPS is an institution, putting them at the centre of the story has a similar effect to the news value of “personification”. SAPS becomes a symbol for the justice system as a whole, an “object for negative identification”. (Galtung and Ruge, 1965:69)

The news values of threshold and meaningfulness (Galtung and Ruge, 1965:67) are met in that many people in our country have been affected by GBV. This makes the story specifically relevant to a wide audience, because we all have a responsibility to combat this issue.

While this was the end of the series, the value of “continuity” (Galtung and Ruge, 1965:70) still applies, as follow-up articles could be written about the #InterruptGBV campaign.

Galtung, J. and Ruge, M.H. (1965). The structure of foreign news: The presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus crises in four Norwegian newspapers. Journal of peace research, 2(1), pp.64-90.