Life after GBV

 



Gender based violence (GBV) has become a global crisis yet it is one of the least visible human rights violations. The United Nations describes gender based violence as any mental, physical, sexual or economic harm inflicted on a person because of socially ascribed power imbalances.

Although gender based violence is common to both men and women in most societies women are the most visibly affected ,with young women and adolescents being at a greater risk.


Cases of gender based violence are being reported each and every day and perpetrators are being dealt with accordingly but as a society have we ever stopped to think about the one who has been exposed to this type of violence?


GBV has deeper consequences and side effects that do not only end with the perpetrator being arrested or reprimanded.


 In most cases the abuser might be arrested and thanks to correctional services they might be rehabilitated and come back to the society as better people. What becomes of the wife or mother who is left to fend for the kids single handedly as she nurses her broken emotions and trust.


Survivors of GBV are affected by both short and long term side effects which can be physical or mental. Women and girls can suffer from permanent or temporary physical injuries as a result of GBV. Yes the abuser was arrested but what is going to happen to that woman with a black eye, how is she going to face her peers or worse what is going to happen to that mother who has  been beaten to a pulp until her spinal cord is injured. How is she going to fend for her family.


Sexual abuse is another form of gender based violence. There are cases of women who have been sexually abused and failed to get medical assistance in time. Some of them have  contracted sexually transmitted infections or worse HIV/AIDS in the process.  Young girls are being abused by relatives and what's even more sad is some of them end up getting pregnant and are made to see the pregnancy term to completion against their will due to cultural norms.  That uncle or neighbor might be reprimanded for their actions but that young woman will never heal from that horrible ordeal as the child will constantly remind her of what she went through. When one has succumbed to GBV they should be given the freedom to make decisions about their bodies.


Besides suffering from post traumatic stress disorder survivors also suffer from victimisation from the community and relatives. If they are not forced to marry their perpetrators they will be castigated for reporting them to the police. In worst cases they are forced to cut ties with their families. This results in more problems like poverty, hunger and even exposes them to more violence. This makes surviving gender based violence a problem on its own.


Life at gender based violence is not as easy as people claim it to be. Survivors should be equipped with the necessary skills and therapy to  help them recover and cope.  There is need for safe spaces where survivors of GBV can freely discuss their experiences and get help. Economic empowerment is also necessary for those who would have been neglected by their families.


 Our society as a whole has a bigger role to play to make life after GBV easy. Victimisation and labelling of survivors should stop and everyone should be willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who has succumbed to gender based violence.


Let us be our sister's keeper.


Feministry!

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