Address GBV root causes!

Gender Based Violence (GBV) is one of the functions of a capitalist economy, based on exploitative models of work and accumulation. The exploitative nature of capitalism organically stratifies mankind into classes that are domesticable and lack economic sufficiency. It is also facilitated by high levels of bias towards traditional practices anchored on patriarchal structures of society that bestows leadership (both social and economic) on men. In many sub–Saharan African and other third world societies, women have been found to be the face of poverty. This situation creates an insurmountable vulnerability on the part of women, who by default find themselves at the mercy of accumulative, misogynistic, exploitative, and oppressive men with whom the enter relationships. 

Given such imbalance of power, women and children are subjected to ideas of men in the management of the family unit, both in married and casual relationships. Some research shows that the bulk of GBV cases are issues of intimate conflict where the man (usually the perpetrator) derives some frustration from a failed (failing relationship) where he was the provider. In the moderation of such conflict, men use their economic strengths to subjugate women to decisions that are unfavorable. 

It is a problem of deficiency of a reasonable balance of power in relationship as the bargaining position is naturally skewed to men. 

Typically, it’s a matter of voicelessness. Even the institutions developed to protect women or expected to pass rules that are supposed to prevent women’s exploitation are held in clutches of men. Over the years, men who’ve used their political and economic standing in society have promulgated laws and policies that propel male domination. If women were not voiceless and had proper capacity to bargain for their rights, the balance of power in social institutions would eradicate the vulnerability they are embroiled in. 

This problem is centuries old. It traverses many generations and epochs. Some of the olden practices (for example female genital mutilation, debarring women from school, voting and work) have transformed into modern models of exploitation, where women in family units do unpaid work including domestic work or family care work, in churches they perform inferior duties, in most tribes they cannot sit in legislative chambers etc. Now, because they do not have political power, with which to protect themselves, they lack, in most cases the economic power to prevail over men. Remember the possession of economic power is a domineering aspect of live. It breathes life into plans of human being, some of whom manipulate it to advance undue influence, exploit, tame, suppress others and the like. 

The inequality of capitalist economic accumulation is the first premise of women’s gender related predicament. Therefore, since they do not have the luxury to make political representations in relationships, they are subjected to the whims and caprices of men. 

The same applies in society, generally. One who lacks the economic muscle to call shots in any form of relationship, has a feeble basis for self-expression and freedom.