Yesterday was societies sign up and GAP now has over 100 members. YAY!!! Seems as if it's going to be GAP's year :)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sign up
Yesterday was societies sign up and GAP now has over 100 members. YAY!!! Seems as if it's going to be GAP's year :)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Solidarity with Rape Survivor
The Gender Action Project (GAP) will be having a silent sit-in in the library quad on Tuesday, 24 February at 19h00. This event is in solidarity with rape survivors, taking into account the recent rape of a first year student last Friday. Regardless of the innocence of the accused, GAP feels that the rape survivor needs to be aware that GAP, staff and students of the university stand beside her in solidarity.
We call on the justice system to speedily resolve the case for the benefit of all parties. The lives of both individuals are currently on hold – and both are currently being victimised by a criminal justice system which is holding up the process of justice being served. GAP is holding a ‘Justice Delayed is Justice Denied’ march on Friday, 27 February at 13h15. The march will begin at the Drostdy Arch and proceed down High Street ending at the High Court.
Again:
Solidarity with Rape Survivors Sit-in
Venue: Library Quad
Date: Tuesday 24 February
Time: 19h00
‘Justice Delayed is Justice Denied’ March
Venue: Drostdy Arch
Date: Friday 27 February
Time: 13h15
In solidarity with the rape survivor,
GAP Working Group
We call on the justice system to speedily resolve the case for the benefit of all parties. The lives of both individuals are currently on hold – and both are currently being victimised by a criminal justice system which is holding up the process of justice being served. GAP is holding a ‘Justice Delayed is Justice Denied’ march on Friday, 27 February at 13h15. The march will begin at the Drostdy Arch and proceed down High Street ending at the High Court.
Again:
Solidarity with Rape Survivors Sit-in
Venue: Library Quad
Date: Tuesday 24 February
Time: 19h00
‘Justice Delayed is Justice Denied’ March
Venue: Drostdy Arch
Date: Friday 27 February
Time: 13h15
In solidarity with the rape survivor,
GAP Working Group
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Alleged Rape on Friday Night
This statement was approved by the survivor: The Dean of Students' Division has received a report of an alleged rape involving a first-year Rhodes University student. The incident took place late on Friday night, at a local pub. The incident has been reported to the South African Police Services and is under investigation. A suspect has been detained.
The student is receiving medical care and rape crisis counselling and is getting full support.
It is a tragic reality that rape does occur at Rhodes and that both men and women are at risk. The associated stigma means that often survivors delay reporting the incident or seeking help because they are ashamed, or fear retribution or complicated legal proceedings. I urge all students to report such incidents immediately, so that we can assist. There is absolutely no shame or blame attached to being assaulted, whether by another student, a partner, a friend, or a stranger.
If you have been raped or assaulted, there are several ways to report it, and a strong network exists at Rhodes to ensure that you receive support.
Please contact the Psychological Emergency Line (082 803 0177) or see the Rhodes University Sexual Assault Protocol for a step-by-step guide to dealing with rape http://www.ru.ac.za/oweek/
Vivian de Klerk
DEAN OF STUDENTS
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Masculinity and Violence
What follows is an article written by a GAP member for the Grocotts Mail - Grahamstown's local newspaper:
Too often I’ve heard men whinge about women or NGO’s that set all men up to seem like rapists. That all men are treated like perpetrators. I’m not going to jump right into that. Instead I’m going to ask a few questions, and maybe delve into a little rant.
Why is it that some men have violent tendencies? Is it perhaps a connection between previous (and current) conceptions of what it meant to be a ‘man’, to be ‘masculine’, to ooze machismo?
I don’t believe that violence, competiveness and aggression are inherent qualities of being a man. Rather that they are learnt. That they are qualities assigned to what it means to be masculine, to be a ‘true man’.
When someone says that it is natural for boys to beat each other up on the play ground, it’s just an excuse. An excuse to avoid taking responsibility for violent behavior, for the behaviour that they instill in young men. It is a poor excuse for the justification of the status quo. It is also a sad reflection on what it means to be a ‘man’.
The traditional notion of what it means to “be a man” is to be strong, in control, unemotional, dominant. Men are taught to adopt these characteristics, are taught an aggressive and violent masculinity. This is done by other men, by institutions such as the army, by the forms of media that are consumed. Just take a look at the role models young boys have: James Bond, Bruce Lee, and other ‘heroes’, men who specialize in violence under the guise of being ‘secret agents’ - a romanticizing of violent masculinities.
Boys are taught not to cry, are called a variety of names – wimp, sissy, fag, girl – to harden them, to be afraid of being seen as ‘feminine’, too afraid to let the hurt and pain show. Where does all this pain go? All the tears, the unhappiness that is not released? It is suppressed and harnessed into violent acts. Pain leads to violence. You have been hurt and so you must hurt in return. And often those that this violence is enacted on are those “weaker” than oneself: children, women, the elderly, men who do not subscribe to aggressive masculinities, the list continues.
More often than not men who subscribe to aggressive masculinities are those men who are responsible for domestic violence, sexual assault and rape. These are acts of social control – the limiting of women in particular, the limiting of their autonomy, freedom and safety. These acts are also taken out on other men.
And if you’re a man reading this, you’re probably thinking that I can’t possibly be talking about you. Or you’re thinking that you’re sick of men being blamed for the rape of women, for domestic violence – that every man is a rapist. Not every man is a rapist. But most men have undergone that conditioning that calls for aggressive, violent, dominant masculinity. This means most men have the potential to lash out, to be aggressive, and to restrict the freedom of another human being.
The question isn’t when women are going to stop blaming men, stop accusing them of being rapists. The question is: when are men going to take a stand? When are men going to educate each other about violence and why it isn’t acceptable? When are men going to stand at the forefront of the battle against gender-based violence? I read on a POWA t-shirt that “POWA is an organization for women, when it is men who need the help”. Perfect summation of my sentiments. Men may be tired of being accused of being rapists. Well, women are tired of cleaning up the mess that masculinity makes.
How do you go about changing the status quo? Maybe you start at rethinking your relationship to other people? Treating women, children and other men as human beings with rights and feelings. Not as objects, or property to be used or dominated.
Men need to examine their personal involvement in violence. Be objective. Don’t get defensive. Just think about everything you’ve been taught and whether it incites you to harm others, or to suppress your own emotions.
Men need to inform themselves about rape. That no one asks to be raped, that men who rape are ordinary men, and that men can also be raped. And perhaps it starts at looking at sexuality. Creating sexual relationships that aren’t based on coercion, submission or aggression. Rather on consent, respect and mutual pleasure.
Men should stop bullying each other into their warped ideas of what it means to be men. Stop pushing each other into positions of privilege and power. Move towards equality and respect.
Men need to create for themselves a healthy identity that is non-oppressive. Take pride in being sensitive, nurturing, and emotionally available – see it not as being feminine, rather as giving into qualities that are intrinsically human. Men need to work on creating a positive masculinity.
If men wish to help prevent violence, then they need to dialogue and assess their own masculinity. Look at the models that men have based their identities on.
Violence is related to masculinity, and masculinity is a men’s issue. Women cannot and should not have to head up the work against gender-based violence. Women are not the perpetrators.
Violence can only end when men take responsibility for it. When men adopt a positive and non-violent masculinity. And it isn’t up to women to prescribe or outline what that should be. Men need to speak to each other. Need to change how men are perceived but changing how they think about masculinity and how they act this out.
Too often I’ve heard men whinge about women or NGO’s that set all men up to seem like rapists. That all men are treated like perpetrators. I’m not going to jump right into that. Instead I’m going to ask a few questions, and maybe delve into a little rant.
Why is it that some men have violent tendencies? Is it perhaps a connection between previous (and current) conceptions of what it meant to be a ‘man’, to be ‘masculine’, to ooze machismo?
I don’t believe that violence, competiveness and aggression are inherent qualities of being a man. Rather that they are learnt. That they are qualities assigned to what it means to be masculine, to be a ‘true man’.
When someone says that it is natural for boys to beat each other up on the play ground, it’s just an excuse. An excuse to avoid taking responsibility for violent behavior, for the behaviour that they instill in young men. It is a poor excuse for the justification of the status quo. It is also a sad reflection on what it means to be a ‘man’.
The traditional notion of what it means to “be a man” is to be strong, in control, unemotional, dominant. Men are taught to adopt these characteristics, are taught an aggressive and violent masculinity. This is done by other men, by institutions such as the army, by the forms of media that are consumed. Just take a look at the role models young boys have: James Bond, Bruce Lee, and other ‘heroes’, men who specialize in violence under the guise of being ‘secret agents’ - a romanticizing of violent masculinities.
Boys are taught not to cry, are called a variety of names – wimp, sissy, fag, girl – to harden them, to be afraid of being seen as ‘feminine’, too afraid to let the hurt and pain show. Where does all this pain go? All the tears, the unhappiness that is not released? It is suppressed and harnessed into violent acts. Pain leads to violence. You have been hurt and so you must hurt in return. And often those that this violence is enacted on are those “weaker” than oneself: children, women, the elderly, men who do not subscribe to aggressive masculinities, the list continues.
More often than not men who subscribe to aggressive masculinities are those men who are responsible for domestic violence, sexual assault and rape. These are acts of social control – the limiting of women in particular, the limiting of their autonomy, freedom and safety. These acts are also taken out on other men.
And if you’re a man reading this, you’re probably thinking that I can’t possibly be talking about you. Or you’re thinking that you’re sick of men being blamed for the rape of women, for domestic violence – that every man is a rapist. Not every man is a rapist. But most men have undergone that conditioning that calls for aggressive, violent, dominant masculinity. This means most men have the potential to lash out, to be aggressive, and to restrict the freedom of another human being.
The question isn’t when women are going to stop blaming men, stop accusing them of being rapists. The question is: when are men going to take a stand? When are men going to educate each other about violence and why it isn’t acceptable? When are men going to stand at the forefront of the battle against gender-based violence? I read on a POWA t-shirt that “POWA is an organization for women, when it is men who need the help”. Perfect summation of my sentiments. Men may be tired of being accused of being rapists. Well, women are tired of cleaning up the mess that masculinity makes.
How do you go about changing the status quo? Maybe you start at rethinking your relationship to other people? Treating women, children and other men as human beings with rights and feelings. Not as objects, or property to be used or dominated.
Men need to examine their personal involvement in violence. Be objective. Don’t get defensive. Just think about everything you’ve been taught and whether it incites you to harm others, or to suppress your own emotions.
Men need to inform themselves about rape. That no one asks to be raped, that men who rape are ordinary men, and that men can also be raped. And perhaps it starts at looking at sexuality. Creating sexual relationships that aren’t based on coercion, submission or aggression. Rather on consent, respect and mutual pleasure.
Men should stop bullying each other into their warped ideas of what it means to be men. Stop pushing each other into positions of privilege and power. Move towards equality and respect.
Men need to create for themselves a healthy identity that is non-oppressive. Take pride in being sensitive, nurturing, and emotionally available – see it not as being feminine, rather as giving into qualities that are intrinsically human. Men need to work on creating a positive masculinity.
If men wish to help prevent violence, then they need to dialogue and assess their own masculinity. Look at the models that men have based their identities on.
Violence is related to masculinity, and masculinity is a men’s issue. Women cannot and should not have to head up the work against gender-based violence. Women are not the perpetrators.
Violence can only end when men take responsibility for it. When men adopt a positive and non-violent masculinity. And it isn’t up to women to prescribe or outline what that should be. Men need to speak to each other. Need to change how men are perceived but changing how they think about masculinity and how they act this out.
Wifebeater Wednesday?
So it’s an innocent enough vest. It’s usually plain white and has no sleeves but, for us, it’s the name that sends the wrong message. It’s called a wifebeater. Most people don’t even think twice about calling it by this name because that’s just what it’s called. We can’t persecute everyone who calls it that but when people try to tell vests that loudly proclaim “Wifebeater Wednesday” on it we can surely do something about it. So on a drizzly morning GAP gathered at one of the local university eateries to speak to the people who were advertising that these vests were for sale. Needless to say the vests were confiscated and the people involved were remorseful. It had never crossed their minds that the word “wifebeater”, a common term associated with the clothing, would cause such a stir. So what do you think? Were we nit picking about a colloquialism? Or were we justified in trying to stamp this out? Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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