Women’s Month in August in commemoration of the accomplishments of those thousands of brave women who rebelled against a patriarchal system was designed to control them and reduce them to submissive beings at the mercy of men. This year, the Women’s Month was celebrated under theme: “Generation Equality – Realizing Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”.
According to the government of South Africa, more than half following the 1956 March in Pretoria, the country has made significant progress towards achieving gender equality. “Today, South Africa’s progressive laws have seen more women serving in high-ranking positions in government than ever before. Access to education by young girls and women has improved substantially over time,” Statistics South Africa said in a statement.
Nevertheless, gender-based violence, which is still widespread in South Africa, remains a major societal challenge in empowering women and achieving gender equality. Although the government insists that there has been significant progress in laying the foundations for an equal future for women, members of the community claim that every year, during Women’s Month, South African women are reminded that this commemoration is in perpetual memory of the dead.
In an article written on the website of Human Rights Watch (HRW), an Associate of the organisation’s Africa Division, Tanya Magaisa, referred to the killings of several women…
