Empowerment through Accountability: Ending Gender-Based Violence
Time and time again, you will hear stories from women and children around the world about their experiences in a society where their womanhood and vulnerability are exploited. Their narratives are marked by fear, hurt, and betrayal in their voices as they recount traumatic experiences that no human being should endure. It all begins with catcalling, stalking, and harassment, which while not categorically gender-based violence, can be seen as symptoms of it.
What is Gender-Based Violence?
Gender-based violence or GBV is a clear indicator of societal failure to listen to and support survivors of GBV. The UNHCR defines gender-based violence, as a “grave violation of human rights and a serious health concern”. Gender-based violence affects one-third of women and girls globally, with heightened prevalence during times of conflict. Victims include women, children, the LGBTQ+, indigenous communities, refugees, and migrants.
While strides have been made in pushing for an egalitarian society, efforts to support survivors of GBV often fall short. However, there is hope. Empowerment through accountability provides the tools we need.
Accountability
Accountability is crucial in ending gender-based violence, extending beyond prosecution and legislation to challenging outdated views of gender and power in modern society.
Power dynamics have historically skewed gender equality efforts. Women have been excluded from societal spaces for so long that establishing accountability remains challenging, especially in ensuring their safety.
Ending GBV can begin with educational reforms that redefine traditional gender norms. Furthermore, creating safe communities that empower people to hold perpetrators accountable is also a critical aspect of accountability.
Promoting gender equality through education and community involvement enables individuals to challenge traditional gender norms and envision a future without GBV.
Empowerment
Empowerment significantly contributes to reducing gender-based violence by equipping individuals with awareness of their rights and boundaries, fostering confidence to assert those rights, and providing access to crucial support services such as counseling and legal aid. The aspect of economic empowerment is equally vital, enabling survivors to gain independence from abusers and enhance their socioeconomic status.
Empowered individuals and communities may also advocate for policy reforms that tackle the underlying causes of GBV and advance gender equality. Ultimately, empowerment fosters a supportive environment that rejects violence and fosters safer, fairer societies.
The way I see it, our traditional beliefs about gender were attempts in the past to bridge and understand the world they were navigating. These beliefs were perceived as accurate or true at the time, but the modern time is calling for us to change. The outdated traditional thinking on gender now demands that we think beyond these norms. Changing our perception is in and of itself an act of accountability.
Changing entails acknowledging that the survivors of GBV have been neglected by a society that has fallen short of protecting one another. Recognition and change are the stepping stones toward achieving transitional justice for GBV survivors.
Written by Carl Mojica
Published on July 29, 2024.
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