To all of you who go on about women having equal rights, this is for you. To all of you who condemn feminism and liken it to an impediment, this is for you. To all of you who think your children will be fine growing up in a society that espouses violence against women, and does not condemn it, this is for you.

1. Yes, there is law for women and men that says that rape is not allowed. But, dear commenters, rapists aren’t known for taking heed of that, or carrying around the bill of rights in their back pockets. Hence the rape rate (this is not hard to understand).

2. Yes, women have legal equal access to jobs, etc etc. But, dear commenters saying that they are a primary target of sexual violence doesn’t constitute self-disempowerment, it is simply opening your blinkered eyes and looking around at your country where young women and girls have a higher chance of being raped than learning to read. Summary for those of you who remain diligently confused: quite simply, legal rights mean squat if you can’t exercise them.

3. No, saying that men are the primary perpetrators of rape does not mean that all men are rapists. For example, if I were to say that the primary carriers of colourblindness were men, none of you would be up in arms arguing that I said all men carry colourblindness. It simply means that some do. Similarly when I say that rapists are primarily men, that’s all that I mean. If you’re so worried about perceptions of men do something to change them!

4. Rape is a problem. Ignoring it won’t make it go away, it will in fact make it worse. (This applies to many things in life.)

5. All victims do not need to assert themselves. Assertion is a choice. People are not made victims of crime because they are weak. They are made victims of crime because someone else chose to commit a crime. The responsibility lies with the perpetrator.

If you are still confused then I beg you, please stop reading my blogs. Go and read something else. Thank you.

Author

  • Jennifer is a feminist, activist and advocate for women's rights. She has a Masters in Politics from Rhodes University, and a Masters in Creative Writing from UCT. In 2010 she started a women's writing project called 'My First Time'. It focuses on women's stories of significant first time experiences. Buy the book on the site http://myfirsttimesa.com or via Modjaji Books. Jen's first novel, The Peculiars, came out in February 2016 and is published by Penguin. Get it in good book stores, and on Takealot.com

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Jen Thorpe

Jennifer is a feminist, activist and advocate for women's rights. She has a Masters in Politics from Rhodes University, and a Masters in Creative Writing from UCT. In 2010 she started a women's writing...

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