I de seneste uger har der været daglige protester i Johannesburg og Cape Town. March to end femicide in South Africa hedder demonstrationen, hvis logo er en minimalistisk tegnet silhuet af den 19-årige studerende Uyinene Mrwetyana fra Cape Town. Hun blev for nylig voldtaget og dræbt af et postbud, da hun var ved at hente en pakke på det lokale posthus og er siden blevet symbolet på bevægelsen.
Samtidig har det sydafrikanske politi offentliggjort nye tal, der viser, at drab, voldtægt og seksuelle overgreb på kvinder er stigende. I 2018 blev knap 3.000 kvinder dræbt i Sydafrika, svarende til cirka én kvinde hver tredje time. Det gør ifølge WHO Sydafrika til nummer fire på listen over de lande, hvor flest kvinder bliver dræbt.
»Forestil dig, at alle kvinderne var en etnisk gruppe. Så ville vi kalde det her et folkedrab, fordi tallene er så ekstremt høje,« siger Amanda Gouws, der er professor på Stellenbosch University i Sydafrika og forsker i sydafrikansk kønspolitik. Bevægelsen bruger selv begrebet femicide til at beskrive de handlinger, der pågår, hvilket netop beskriver en systematisk praksis, hvor kvinder og piger bliver slået ihjel på grund af deres køn.
Hun fortæller, at kvinder ikke føler sig sikre nogen steder længere. Hverken derhjemme, i deres bil eller på gaden. Og på det universitet, hvor Amanda Gouws arbejder, bliver hun hele tiden konfronteret med problemet, når unge kvinder gang på gang bliver voldtaget.
Min illustration handler om, at vi alle bliver ofre - både mænd og kvinder. Vi mister alle en datter, mor, søster i verden. Det er ikke kun i Sydafrika der er problemer. Generelt er der mere vold mod sagesløse i dag end i 2008. Det er ikke kun, at nogle mænd griber til disse voldsomheder, men i virkeligheden at de sociale sikkerhedsnet, jobsikkerhed og dermed måde vi er sammen på er blevet udfordret.
Da jeg læste i avisen Information om de Sydafrikanske tilstande blev jeg meget berørt. Jeg måtte handle. Jeg synes virkelig at det går mere og mere tilbage. Vi mennesker er her i så kort tid. Derfor brude få et liv med muligheden for, at kunne være tryg, skabe og dele til fælleskabet. Illustrationen skal ses i det lys.
In recent weeks there have been daily protests in Johannesburg and Cape Town. March two than femicide in South Africa is named the demonstration, whose logo is a minimalist drawn silhouette of 19-year-old student Uyinene Mrwetyana from Cape Town. She was recently raped and killed by a postman when she was picking up a parcel at the local post office and has since become the symbol of the movement.
At the same time, South African police have released new figures showing that killings, rape and sexual abuse of women are on the rise. In 2018, almost 3,000 women were killed in South Africa, equivalent to about one woman every three hours. According to WHO, South Africa ranks number four on the list of countries where most women are killed.
“Imagine that all the women were an ethnic group. Then we would call this a genocide because the numbers are so extremely high, "says Amanda Gouws, a professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and a researcher on South African gender politics. The movement itself uses the concept of femicide to describe the actions that are going on, which precisely describes a systematic practice where women and girls are killed because of their gender.
She says women don't feel safe anywhere anymore. Neither at home, in their car or on the street. And at the university where Amanda Gouws works, she is constantly confronted with the problem when young women are repeatedly raped.
My illustration is about us all being victims - both men and women. We all lose a daughter, mother, sister in the world. It is not only in South Africa that there are problems. In general, there is more violence against the homeless today than in 2008. It is not only that some men resort to these violence, but in fact that the social safety nets, job security and thus the way we are together have been challenged.
When I read in the newspaper Information about the South African conditions, I was very touched. I had to act. I really think it's going back more and more. We humans are here for such a short time. Therefore, brides get a life with the possibility of being safe, creating and sharing for the community. The illustration should be seen in that light.
My deepest condolences to her family
