5 - Institutionalizing Gender-Based Violence Within African Democracies
Corresponding Author(s) : Kyunghee Kang
Africa Development,
Vol. 49 No. 1 (2024): Africa Development
Abstract
Even though international legislation recognises the eradication of gender- based violence as a crucial target for the promotion of human rights and the achievement of the sustainable development of the world, violence against women has received little intellectual attention and scholarly intervention from academia. In the African region, where diverse sociocultural and institutional gender discriminative factors often mean unequal power relations between women and men, the prevalence of gender-based violence is particularly critical. This article examines the institutional implications of violence against women by comparing South Africa and Botswana, two countries that adopted democratic systems after gaining independence from the United Kingdom. It highlights the importance of the Constitutions of both countries and the representation of woman in politics. The divergence between the two states’ legal and political approaches to gender equality and human rights underscores the role of gender-specific institutions in the prevalence of violence against women. This article also uncovers the limitations of existing strategies and proposes a better understanding of inequality within gender relations and its reflection within the frame of institutions to find a way to resolve violence against women and achieve gender justice.
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- Andersson, N., Ho-Foster, A., Mitchell, S., Scheepers, E., and Goldstein, S. 2007, ‘Risk factors for domestic physical violence: national cross-sectional household surveys in eight southern African countries’, BMC Women’s Health, Vol. 7, No. 11. https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6874-7-11
- Bauer, G., and Burnet, J.E., 2013, ‘Gender Quotas, Democracy, and Women’s Representation in Africa: Some Insights from Democratic Botswana and Autocratic Rwanda’, Women’s Studies International Forum, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 103–112.
- Benería, L., Berik, G., and Floro, M.S., 2003, Gender, Development, and Globalization: Economics as if All People Mattered, Abingdon: Routledge.
- Caprioli, M., 2004, ‘Democracy and Human Rights versus Women’s Security: A Contradiction?’ Security Dialogue, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 411–428.
- Cohn, S.R., and Blumberg, R.L., eds, 2020, Gender and Development: The Economic Basis of Women’s Power, London: Sage.
- Datta, K., 2004, ‘A Coming of Age? Re-conceptualising Gender and Development in Urban Botswana’, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 251–268.
- De Jager, N., and Sebudubudu, D., 2017, ‘Towards Understanding Botswana and South Africa’s Ambivalence to Liberal Democracy’, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 15–33.
- Dixon, R., and Roux, T., eds., 2018, Constitutional Triumphs, Constitutional Disappointments: A Critical Assessment of the 1996 South African Constitution’s Local and International Influence, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Du Toit, P., 1995, State Building and Democracy in Southern Africa: Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace.
- Fallon, K., Swiss, L., and Viterna, J., 2012, ‘Resolving the Democracy Paradox: Democratization and Women’s Legislative Representation in Developing Nations, 1975 to 2009’, American Sociological Review, Vol. 77, No. 3, pp. 380–408.
- Gender Links (GL) and South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), 2011, Gender Based Violence Indicators Research Report (Draft), Johannesburg: GL and SAMRC. http://genderlinks.org.za/wp-content/uploads/imported/articles/attachments/12769_gender_based_violence_indicators_research_ report_23february.pdf
- Gender Links (GL) and Women’s Affairs Department (WAD), 2012, The Gender Based Violence Indicators Study, Botswana, Gaborone: GL and WAD. http://genderlinks.org.za/wp-content/uploads/imported/articles/attachments/15554_ gbv_indicators_executivesummary.pdf, Accessed 2 September 2022.
- Goldblatt, B., 2018, ‘Violence against Women in South Africa: Constitutional Responses and Opportunities’, in Dixon, R. and Roux, T., eds., Constitutional Triumphs, Constitutional Disappointments: A Critical Assessment of the 1996 South African Constitution’s Local and International Influence, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Groth, A.J., 1979, ‘The Institutional Myth: Huntington’s Order Revisited’, The Review of Politics, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 203–234.
- Heise, L., 1993, ‘Violence against Women: The Hidden Health Burden’, World Health Statistics Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 78–85.
- Huntington, S.P., 1968, Political Order in Changing Societies, New Haven: Yale University Press.
- Mackay, F., Kenny, M., and Chappell, L., 2010, ‘New Institutionalism Through a Gender Lens: Towards a Feminist Institutionalism?’ International Political Science Review, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 573–588.
- Ndulo, M., 2011, ‘African Customary Law, Customs, and Women’s Rights’, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 87–120.
- Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), 2017, Launch of CEDAW General Recommendation No. 35 on gender-based violence against women, updating General Recommendation No. 19 https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cedaw/launch-cedaw-general-recommendation-no-35-gender- based-violence-against-women-updating-general Accessed 15 April 2022.
- Phillips, A., 1998, ‘Democracy and Representation: Or Why Should It Matter Who Our Representatives Are?’, in Phillips, A., ed., Feminism and Politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Scribner, D., and Lambert, P.A., 2010, ‘Constitutionalizing Difference: A Case Study Analysis of Gender Provisions in Botswana and South Africa’, Politics and Gender, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 37–61.
- Selolwane, O.D., 1998, ‘Equality of Citizenship and the Gendering of Democracy in Botswana’, in Edge, W.A. and Lekorwe, M.H., eds, Botswana, Politics and Society, Pretoria: J.L. Schaik.
- Tournadre, J., 2022, The Politics of the Near: On the Edges of Protest in South Africa, New York: Fordham University Press.
- United Nations (UN), n.d., What is Domestic Abuse? https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/what-is-domestic-abuse Accessed 3 May 2022.
- United Nations General Assembly, 1993, Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, Res. 48/104, New York: UN.
- University of Melbourne Library Guides, n.d. The South African Legal System, https://unimelb.libguides.com/c.php?g=929734&p=6718215 Accessed 17 April 2022.
- US Department of Justice, 2000, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women, Washington, DC: US Department of Justice.
- Van Allen, J., 2007, ‘Feminism and Social Democracy in Botswana’, Socialism and Democracy, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 97–124.
- Woodman, G.R., 2001, ‘Customary Law in Common Law Systems’, IDS Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 28–34.
- World Bank, 2022, Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SG.GEN.PARL.ZS?locations. Accessed 2 September 2022.
- World Health Organization (WHO), n.d., Global Database of Prevalence of Violence Against Women, https://vaw-data.srhr.org/ Accessed 9 May 2022.
- World Health Organization (WHO), 2021, Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates 2018 – Executive Summary, Geneva: World Health Organization.
References
Andersson, N., Ho-Foster, A., Mitchell, S., Scheepers, E., and Goldstein, S. 2007, ‘Risk factors for domestic physical violence: national cross-sectional household surveys in eight southern African countries’, BMC Women’s Health, Vol. 7, No. 11. https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6874-7-11
Bauer, G., and Burnet, J.E., 2013, ‘Gender Quotas, Democracy, and Women’s Representation in Africa: Some Insights from Democratic Botswana and Autocratic Rwanda’, Women’s Studies International Forum, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 103–112.
Benería, L., Berik, G., and Floro, M.S., 2003, Gender, Development, and Globalization: Economics as if All People Mattered, Abingdon: Routledge.
Caprioli, M., 2004, ‘Democracy and Human Rights versus Women’s Security: A Contradiction?’ Security Dialogue, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 411–428.
Cohn, S.R., and Blumberg, R.L., eds, 2020, Gender and Development: The Economic Basis of Women’s Power, London: Sage.
Datta, K., 2004, ‘A Coming of Age? Re-conceptualising Gender and Development in Urban Botswana’, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 251–268.
De Jager, N., and Sebudubudu, D., 2017, ‘Towards Understanding Botswana and South Africa’s Ambivalence to Liberal Democracy’, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 15–33.
Dixon, R., and Roux, T., eds., 2018, Constitutional Triumphs, Constitutional Disappointments: A Critical Assessment of the 1996 South African Constitution’s Local and International Influence, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Du Toit, P., 1995, State Building and Democracy in Southern Africa: Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace.
Fallon, K., Swiss, L., and Viterna, J., 2012, ‘Resolving the Democracy Paradox: Democratization and Women’s Legislative Representation in Developing Nations, 1975 to 2009’, American Sociological Review, Vol. 77, No. 3, pp. 380–408.
Gender Links (GL) and South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), 2011, Gender Based Violence Indicators Research Report (Draft), Johannesburg: GL and SAMRC. http://genderlinks.org.za/wp-content/uploads/imported/articles/attachments/12769_gender_based_violence_indicators_research_ report_23february.pdf
Gender Links (GL) and Women’s Affairs Department (WAD), 2012, The Gender Based Violence Indicators Study, Botswana, Gaborone: GL and WAD. http://genderlinks.org.za/wp-content/uploads/imported/articles/attachments/15554_ gbv_indicators_executivesummary.pdf, Accessed 2 September 2022.
Goldblatt, B., 2018, ‘Violence against Women in South Africa: Constitutional Responses and Opportunities’, in Dixon, R. and Roux, T., eds., Constitutional Triumphs, Constitutional Disappointments: A Critical Assessment of the 1996 South African Constitution’s Local and International Influence, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Groth, A.J., 1979, ‘The Institutional Myth: Huntington’s Order Revisited’, The Review of Politics, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 203–234.
Heise, L., 1993, ‘Violence against Women: The Hidden Health Burden’, World Health Statistics Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 78–85.
Huntington, S.P., 1968, Political Order in Changing Societies, New Haven: Yale University Press.
Mackay, F., Kenny, M., and Chappell, L., 2010, ‘New Institutionalism Through a Gender Lens: Towards a Feminist Institutionalism?’ International Political Science Review, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 573–588.
Ndulo, M., 2011, ‘African Customary Law, Customs, and Women’s Rights’, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 87–120.
Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), 2017, Launch of CEDAW General Recommendation No. 35 on gender-based violence against women, updating General Recommendation No. 19 https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cedaw/launch-cedaw-general-recommendation-no-35-gender- based-violence-against-women-updating-general Accessed 15 April 2022.
Phillips, A., 1998, ‘Democracy and Representation: Or Why Should It Matter Who Our Representatives Are?’, in Phillips, A., ed., Feminism and Politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Scribner, D., and Lambert, P.A., 2010, ‘Constitutionalizing Difference: A Case Study Analysis of Gender Provisions in Botswana and South Africa’, Politics and Gender, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 37–61.
Selolwane, O.D., 1998, ‘Equality of Citizenship and the Gendering of Democracy in Botswana’, in Edge, W.A. and Lekorwe, M.H., eds, Botswana, Politics and Society, Pretoria: J.L. Schaik.
Tournadre, J., 2022, The Politics of the Near: On the Edges of Protest in South Africa, New York: Fordham University Press.
United Nations (UN), n.d., What is Domestic Abuse? https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/what-is-domestic-abuse Accessed 3 May 2022.
United Nations General Assembly, 1993, Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, Res. 48/104, New York: UN.
University of Melbourne Library Guides, n.d. The South African Legal System, https://unimelb.libguides.com/c.php?g=929734&p=6718215 Accessed 17 April 2022.
US Department of Justice, 2000, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women, Washington, DC: US Department of Justice.
Van Allen, J., 2007, ‘Feminism and Social Democracy in Botswana’, Socialism and Democracy, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 97–124.
Woodman, G.R., 2001, ‘Customary Law in Common Law Systems’, IDS Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 28–34.
World Bank, 2022, Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SG.GEN.PARL.ZS?locations. Accessed 2 September 2022.
World Health Organization (WHO), n.d., Global Database of Prevalence of Violence Against Women, https://vaw-data.srhr.org/ Accessed 9 May 2022.
World Health Organization (WHO), 2021, Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates 2018 – Executive Summary, Geneva: World Health Organization.