The System Has Failed Us
THE public discussions around the tragic death of Magdelena Stoffels merely scratched the surface of the deeper conditions which confront women in this country.
The impression of Magdalena was of a young girl dedicated to her education in an attempt to escape the doldrums of poverty. This will now not happen as she is just one of many others confronted daily by the conditions poor families face in this society.
The massive responses to Magdalena’s death in the form of demonstrations in the country, the number of letters in newspapers and the many workshops on violence reflect the importance of this issue as a political issue and not just as a woman’s question.
We may ask: “Why did this happen? Would this have happened if Magdalena’s parents had a car to drop her off at school or if decent public transport was available? Would Magdalena be alive if she had lived in a more affluent suburb attending a private school? Are we angry at men for what happened to Magdalena? Why do women become the prey?
Clearly, the answer is not to be found in the actions of the individual alone but needs to be understood against a system where basic human needs, safety and dignity becomes secondary issues. It is the everyday sexism of portraying women as sex objects, sexists jokes, etc which create the environment in which violence can thrive. This violence on a micro-level can become so internalised and is often expressed through barbaric actions as in the case of Magdalena Stoffels’ tragic death.
I dare to state that the high unemployment rate, particularly amongst young men of disadvantaged communities, is a large determinant of violence against women. This of course does not mean that men of higher economic status do not rape and kill, but that the frequency of this violence is far more in lower-economic groups. The symbiotic relationship between the socio-economic conditions and rape points out that a more efficient intervention would not only focus on the socialization of men per se but would also focus on the prevailing socio-economic conditions. Deliberately shying away from this reality of so many in lower income groups would illustrate an elitist and anti-poor attitude towards this real issue of violence faced by women.
Magdalena’s mother should not blame herself for not walking her daughter to school on that tragic day as her daughter has the right like any other human being to walk freely wherever without fear. Innocent Magdalena like many other women is seen as prey for many men to revenge their loss of power. Magdalena’s killer and all others using violence as a means to seek power is not to be excused. Feelings of frustration and powerlessness of his current living conditions, coupled with the masculine stereotypes most probably explain the killer’s actions.
Unless we acknowledge that the system has failed us and will continue to do so (unless we challenge it), we will repeatedly ask ourselves if we will provide yet another opportunity for such gruesome acts to happen again. In my opinion, it remains an ongoing task to raise the consciousness about women’s oppression and the state of the poor at the same time. In no uncertain terms can we separate these issues as the symbiosis exists. Let the significance of Magdalena’s death be that we all commit to consistently challenge the social conditions, the values, and the processes responsible for the production of these rapists and killers.
Imelda Kloppers
Via e-mail