There seems to be a hatred of women who refuse to comply with patriarchal authority in sexual hierarchy and cultural norms, writes Geoff Hughes.
Johannesburg - The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children (hardly a concise and emotive slogan) have already been marked by serious violations.
In addition to many rapes, several lesbians have been targeted and murdered. Such homophobic reactions have been recorded from 2007.
It is difficult to conceive of the mindset behind the planning and execution of such barbaric attacks on harmless victims.
At root there seems to be a hatred of women who refuse to comply with patriarchal authority in sexual hierarchy and cultural norms.
Specifically, there is the bizarre phenomenon of “corrective rape”, a hate crime inflicted on lesbian women, supposedly to “cure” their homosexuality.
The term was coined by charity workers over a decade ago. Although these crimes are under-reported, there are statistics of at least 32 women being raped and murdered in the last 15 years.
Since the victims are typically gang-raped and then shot, there is no “correction” for them. Clearly the real motive of the murderers is to terrorise those with “deviant” desires and practices.
We are a long way from Byron’s celebration of The Isles of Greece: "Where burning Sappho loved and sung". But in the London streets it was a different story.
* Geoff Hughes is an emeritus professor formerly with Wits University.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
The Star