let’s face it…South Africa has some of the most appalling abuse statistics in the world. Talk ALL you want. Words can lie, but these numbers don’t.

So, don’t get so sensitive!
She’s just pointing out the general truth but hey, sometimes the truth hurts, doesn’t it? Don’t be the ostrich that sticks it’s head in the sand.

It cannot be denied that South Africa has the highest percentage of rapes and child abuse in the world. These violent crimes, as most violent crimes are usually not perpetrated by women, but, not surprisingly, by men.

While only a small percentage of any society are responsible for the most heinous of crimes, the attitudes that encourage them to move in that direction are deeply engrained in this society….you don’t have to look any further than the typical male response to this column. Men mostly get defensive and their brains stop functioning as defense mechanism kicks in.

Women are forced to play the roles they play by this patriarchal society. It’s very difficult for both men and women who have been conditioned into these roles to penetrate their conditioning because it’s so deep.

Add to that the past racial turmoil and inequality of this country and viola….you have the violent, patriarchal society of today’s South Africa.

Yes, that’s definitely an extreme violation. But then, so is lagging behind in your custody.

I must confess, my first reaction to the title of the article was a typical male chauvinist one (oh, here we go, another day another bra burnt). After reading the article, I hung my head in shame.

I shall think twice about sticking up for men in future if that’s the calibre of men we are breeding in South Africa. None of the issues Charlene tackled were unfounded, none of them could be shrugged of as mere feminist hysteria. Shame on us, guys!

Your input would be appreciated on the debate raging about the Zapiro cartoon.

You, after all, are one of the few who can speak with authority on this topic.

Law :everything is done legally to protect women even being biase to men legally.
even some women claim all the time to have been raped by their husbands, because they no longer giving them love and cheat on them,
the law always protect women by punishing men without going into details underlining just to protect women.

Parenting:if women has got more skills ,why can they go to work and employ a nanny, to baby sit, of course which is good for jobs creation opportunities ,incutting down the unemployment rate , than making noise. You wanted to be equal ,now you are given a position why is it difficuty now to make decision, than moarning

Single parent women:
None of these women has been raped to have children, most of them they just choose to have children even without marriage ,because they are modern women , they want to prove the point. wont behave or listen to the traditional women because they have got rights.
when it come to hardship they dont want to accept the blame , than targerting men as abusers,just pis off!

DiVORCE: some women will always take premature decisions and opt for divorce ,thus single parents or due to their own infedility, thus single parents and thereafter exclamating abuse by men,or else leave from one relationship to the next with children from prevevious relationship when her old behaviour of cheating start, an abused man just turn to her daughter for comfort, thus she shout abuse.

Statistics:
Women are outnumbering men, some they abuse that and fall in a wrong relationship because they just want to have a man regardless of the situation surrounding a man,when things go wrong ,she start shouting abuse.

Just to be brief women has to come into terms with the situations they live in and stop playing games with law, they already fully protected, there is nothing more that can be done for them more than what has already been done for them.
They must learn to behave and adjust to their sociatal norms, therefore be in a position to control their behaviour.

Some they go out wearing almost nothing,naked or like those who are advertising for their customs under red lights and looming the streets and claiming to be exercising their rights in public, which is not really clear because we are sharing the space, therefore you cannt really say any consideration is ever given to those vulnerable men who will inevitable respond to nature stimulus, thus committing crimes.
we do nt look for excuse with regard to these cases, but at the same time consideration must paid to the fact that we are sharing a living space and we must try our best to protect those who are vulnerable.
Rape cases are high but something can be done to cut it down, not only by the courts, but even by the communities, voting for community bounding decisions considering the cutting down of the most precipitating factors.
Like in the moslem world people are aware of their weakness, thus women are asked or expected to cover up their bodies,to resolve an escalations to the kind of problem facing our country.
We cannt ignore the the fact that the world today is very obssesed with pornography, of which the media has to take a blame to that challenge.

Of course children raised by single parents, esp. women are always prone to many social disorders due to the lack of parental control, ranging from crimes as mothers cant control teenagers to others thus problem recycles itself.

Lets imagine the judge’s reasoning though.
I dont think he’s a silly little bastard who sympathises with paedophiles.

Amongst the things considered would have been the following.

1. The circumastances of the case. How did the girl feel about the ‘crime’. What was its nature eg violent, consensual….

2. What good will a harsher sentence do?
If the chap is 60? what is the point of the incarceration exactly.

(a) to protect the victim.
(b) to deter the offender
(c) for retribution
(d) to deter others…

your objection is probably the lack of general deterrence likely to achieved by this judgement but i think the judge’s reasoning is as extraodinary as the circumstances of the case and therefore just.

And on women : Yeah, if its possible why shouldn’t a child be raised by his mom instead of some other lady?

Women are not a homogenous group-Neither are men. What you attribute to SA men, sound very universal.
If we introduce the notion of class, and race to the woman’s debate, imagine the outcome. Charlene, you as a “white woman” and (upper) middle class person, have always been more privileged and powerful (and still is) than millions of South African (black) men.
To put the issue of women on the agenda is timely and laudable (when all the new rich sisters are silent) on your part.
Though feminism as a social construct has different meanings to different (wo)men, there is much to glean from, for the betterment of South African women.
South African women (Olive Schreiner, Bessie Head, Albertina Sisulu, Autshumato, Fatima Meer…. (you add to the list) has a rich history of leadership in many sphere of South African life. Also what has happened to the SA women’s movement(s)-can they be of some help?
It appears as if human beings have the propensity to rape but as you allude to, rape is mainly committed by men. Rape, not a sex crime but indicative of powerlessness, (against those with less power) appear to be part of the problem that you trying to show.
Some (wo)men would call Indirah Ghandi, Golda Meir, Eva Peron, Imelda Marcos, Winnie Mandela, Condolesa Rice, men. No they were/are women who in positions of power committed some horrendous actions?
The challenge to (wo)men, market place, government, civil society regarding the attitude towards women in all its showing need more voices such as yours- towards ‘bettering’ the situation.
And what would the nature of that be? –you know best, as women are more intuitive than men (have a laugh girl- oops, sorry, that’s sexist- have a laugh woman)