Stop teaching women how not to be murdered and focus on the men killing them
How much more careful must we become? How many more routes must we abandon, streets avoid and public spaces surrender before we admit that the problem is not that women are insufficiently cautious?
South African journalist Cassandra Gudlhuza argues that the focus should be on addressing the issue of men committing violence against women, rather than teaching women how to avoid being victims. She points to a recent case in Kempton Park where five women were found murdered, all of whom went for a run. Gudlhuza points out that women are already taking extreme precautions, but this does not prevent men from committing these crimes.
She contends that the real problem is men's entitlement to hurt women, not women's caution. Gudlhuza suggests that the solution lies in focusing on identifying, apprehending and prosecuting perpetrators, and encouraging communities to report crimes. She urges people to stop telling women to be more careful and instead confront the underlying issue of men believing they have the right to harm women.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
