One of the rising issues emanating from the femicide discussion in these 16 days of activism in Kenya is victim-blaming. An ongoing TikTok trend, #womeninmalefields, is one of the creative outlets that many women are using to show how victim-blaming looks when the other party is in the opposite direction. The comments are filled with women relaying their experiences and feelings towards popular sentiments relayed by men on why it was the women’s fault. Among those popular sentiments are: ‘What were the women wearing?’, ‘Why were the women outside at such and such a time?’, and ‘Why didn’t the women scream?’ It is such comments that reveal the blind spots of society and the dire need for sensitization on this issue. One often wonders if society would treat sex-targeted murders equally if the coin were flipped. In an attempt to shift the discourse, let’s look at 4 myths and facts that dispel myths around femicide in Kenya.
Myth 1: Women’s behaviour causes femicide
The fact is that the perpetrators of femicide are not created by women in their dressing closet in the morning or in their mannerisms during the day. Perpetrators of women have deeper issues set within that are not linked to their victims in any way or form. Women are killed by exercising their rights in various ways, such as rejecting unwelcome advances, standing up for themselves, or showing independence, among others.
Myth 2: Femicide affects only poor women
While the intersectionality of issues places women in low socio-economic status in greater danger due to increased vulnerabilities, femicide is an issue across sectors. All types of women have been and continue to be in danger of such an atrocity. The human right to live shouldn't discriminate along the lines of education, religion, advantages, or economic possibilities.
Myth 3: Femicide is carried out by “monsters”
Statistics show that the highest percentage of femicide cases have the perpetrators close to the victim through familial, friendship, or work ties. Normalized gender-based violence has in many cases graduated to femicide. This is not helped by the patriarchal system and victim-blaming that leave many cases unreported.
Myth 4: Femicide only occurs in domestic cases
Cases of harassment in the streets and public cases recorded officially and in social media circles show that femicide does happen with strangers. Although intimate partner violence (IPV) makes up a large part of femicide cases, public areas are not always safe for women. It is very common for women to be more aware of their surroundings in areas that men would have no second thoughts about due to social conditioning.
While these facts do not cover the bulk entirely, they are a good start to burst the myths that are held on the issue. Let us have this discussion in our social circles and find solutions together to end the epidemic. While you are at it, do check the hashtag #womeninmalefields on TikTok.
By:
Caroline Wanjiku Kamau
Project and Volunteer Manager at Blessed Citron
Comments
Post a Comment