The #16Days 

This is a topic of serious contention in the world today!
Do you ever wonder why, though?

Well, there are a few keywords that make it that hot…
One is GENDER
The second is VIOLENCE
And finally, the most contentious one of them all is BASED!!!

Photo credit: psicarribbean.com

Times have changed drastically, this we must appreciate.
Back in the day, as I was growing up, I didn’t witness a lot of #GBV around me or in my closest circles
For some reason, it’s like the lid containing all this rage and dissatisfaction amongst people out there, was thrown atop and all hell broke loose.

It has taken into all forms, irrespective of nation, magnitude, justification, beliefs, culture, consequences linked to it, parties involved, background….

Individuals have become way too “tactical” with this
Bringing forth all ways of punishing one another
For many a time, offences that could be forgiven and held as learning experiences

Life has become a battleground of sorts
Of course, with the additional fuel to the burning fire, being chipped in by our vast culture, as humans

In some cultures, beating up other people is a way of establishing “levels” and showing the whole world out there, that you’re the “macho” one there,
For some others, denying your partner sex, is a way of settling the score for a past “encounter” that wasn’t managed well

Passive aggression is a way of “staying in your lane”, for a big number of other cultures
Mimicking and rudely joking about someone and what they’ve done, also does it for a number of others

Deliberate denial of financial assistance and “bail-out” to our partners, seems to be the in-thing, one of these days, globally

Photo credit: Daily Maverick

My worry sets in; when we never sit down to gravely think of what we’ve done
Many times, it’s a thing to do with impulse….liiike a using addict that needs the next shot to be kawa
And yet, the losses we incur go way beyond our impulse

For example, did it ever cross your mind that the consequences of your action affect your whole community to national level?
To the point that, our communities today have normalized abuse, all in the name of “that’s-normal-in-Africa”

You’ll agree with me that in many of our societies today, normalizing of GBV amongst individuals is the in-thing and has been for decades now!
Forgetting that this kind of practice, has always brought us back to us in form of children beating up and slaughtering their own parents as well as siblings

Children raping their own siblings
Children growing up knowing that generosity are an issue of the “white man only” and therefore, they aren’t concerned about it

Parents believing that their children are their slaves, until further notice
Even the law-enforcement officers we are supposed to trust with our lives and property, don’t seem to know how to go about these issues till someone drops dead and then, they step in, with all the arresting terminologies

Not that I blame them or their training officers but this issue hadn’t been one of contention back in their days of training camp, perhaps!
Most of the time, they brush off our complaints or alarms for help whenever we are violated by those around us

With the legendary statement, “this is an issue you can work out as a family”
And so, the cycle continues, right?

Photo credit: AskLegal.MY

My recommendation is that VIOLENCE OF ANY SORT MUST BE AT ZERO-TOLERANCE LEVEL
No matter what somebody has done to you as offence, violence shouldn’t be an option for you to take on.

Massive programs that are inclusive on gender, as a subject, ought to be included in the education and school curriculum of every nation
With education comes the key to unlocking all potential, you know that, right?

Where need be, PUNISHMENTS RENDERED must be like no other so as to have this kind of behavior totally diminished. Believe it, this can happen
And then, I offer myself to listen to all problems arising out of and from this issue of GENDER

GOD BLESS US AND LETS FIGHT TO SEE TO THE END OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN OUR BEAUTIFUL WORLD!