Token Activism Isn’t Protecting Women from Sexual Assault
Note: This article contains stories, and discussions, about rape and sexual abuse.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing
South Africa has recently had a resurgence in activism against violence towards women. There have been some high profile cases, and social media coverage has blown-up. Massive marches were held, under the hashtag #AmINext. I was browsing Twitter posts about the protests and then I stumbled across this:
No, you don’t need glasses! You read it correctly! She went to a march to protest violence against women, and the person who raped her a year ago was AT THE PROTEST! Can you imagine the psychological trauma that must have caused?
She went to a march to protest violence against women, and the person who raped her a year ago was at the protest!
What do I mean by Token Activism?
Right after 19 year-old Uyinene Mrwetyana was raped and murdered, social media was flooded with tributes, calls for men to take responsibility, invites to protests, etc. What was very prominent was the call on men to sort themselves out, for women to stand together and for politicians to act. Even schools got involved, with the prominent Maritzburg College and Selborne Primary School posting videos.
Consider this very sobering fact: 11% of boys in South Africa have admitted to forcing sex on someone. That means, in those videos above, 1 in 10 of those boys has forced sex on someone else — at least from a purely statistical point of view.
Even though a staggering 114 rapes occur in South Africa every day, only this case seemed to ignite public interest. Only after this case was there widespread condemnation of sexual abuse on social media. When someone posts something because its the trend at the time, when they are willing to think about it now but not willing to take real action, when they worry about it when it’s in vogue but soon forget, you get Token Activism. This is not life-changing, 24/7, ‘end Apartheid-like’ activism. This is socially induced activism that seems to strike at the heart, but not at the soul.
Then you get the example of the rapist above, who was part of the anti-rape protest, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, an evil example of tokenism.
When someone posts something because its the trend at the time, when they are willing to think about it now but not willing to take real action, when they worry about it when it’s in vogue but soon forget, you get Token Activism
Why token activism is such a problem?
Now, don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with the protests, I have no problem with men standing up for women, I have no problem with the principal of a boys high school telling the boys how to be men. Indeed, as the father of two young daughters, I am heavily invested in a safer world for women.
I think that these activities are to be commended, and I applaud people for making the effort. Ultimately, I believe that in the long-term, this kind of awareness can make a difference. But the problem is that this activism isn’t new, it isn’t telling us something we don’t know already, and, most importantly, it isn’t even working!
In the states, sexual assault rates been halved since 1993, but rates in the last ten years have barely changed, and 320 000 people are raped or sexually assaulted each year. In South Africa, the rates of rape increased last year, and this upward movement is a trend not an anomaly.
Then think about the rates of reporting and conviction: In South Africa, it’s estimated that only 1 in 13 rapes are recorded. Then less 50% of reports lead to arrests, less than 15% of these are taken trail, and less than 5% of these are convicted. That means that out of 10,000 rapes, 770 are reported, 385 cases lead to arrests, about 60 are taken to trail, and finally 3 convictions are achieved. Let me repeat: For every 10,000 rapes in South Africa, there are a grand total of 3 convictions! They might as well make rape legal, after all there clearly seems to be no incentive for people to follow the law.
America fares little better. About 5 people are imprisoned for every 1000 rapes in America. Faced with figures like this, it almost feels hopeless. How can we as a society allow this to happen with no consequences?
For every 10,000 rapes in South Africa, there are a grand total of 3 convictions!
What can be done?
If a rapist is unwilling to listen to the fighting, sobbing and screaming of a victim, when they are psychically assaulting them, then I find it ridiculous to think that increased awareness of sexual abuse is going to change them. They are fundamentally broken, they are willing to violate another human being in the most personal and terrible way possible.
We do not need a society that fixes these broken people — because it doesn’t exist. What we need is a society that doesn’t create these monsters to start with, and executes swift, fair, and complete justice to those who deserve it.
We do not need a society where activism is posting your displeasure on social media, we need a society where the activism is rooted in the soul, and in real action. Where how you vote, and how you hold politicians accountable, is based on your activism. If you don’t change how you think about politics, and how you vote, then you aren’t a sexual abuse activist, you are just a token.
If men and women around the world really want to prove that they are serious about violence against women, then it’s time to use their collective social power to make sure that the world is run by people dedicated to this cause, and to demand results. It’s time to make sure that rapes are reported, and lead to convictions. To make sure that crime has consequences. Nothing less is acceptable for women, nothing less should be acceptable to you…
