By Wanique Block
Over the past two months, we’ve witnessed the ongoing drama between rapper and fashion designer Kanye West and his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian.
Initially, when the former couple announced their divorce it seemed as though everything was handled in a cordial manner.
This, however, shortly came to an end when Kanye West dedicated his time to deliberately harassing the mother of his four children as well as harassing and criticising her new boyfriend.
From buying a house across Kim’s house, love bombing her with extravagant gifts, to having relentless meltdowns and tantrums on social media, fighting with anyone and everyone who’s against his efforts to “win back his wife”, not to mention the continuous harassment and threatening of violence towards Kim’s boyfriend, Pete Davidson.
To many outsiders watching all this drama unfold in real-time is interesting to watch, a joke nonetheless.
They all assume that Kanye’s actions are just innocent efforts to “win” his wife back and “save his marriage”, but to some women, like myself we empathize with Kim Kardashian not because we’re her fans but because we realise and understand the severity of harassment and abuse. We also understand that although seen as small and trivial, harassment could potentially expand into a dangerous and life-threatening situation.
The world is literally witnessing abuse and harassment play out in real-time yet many people if not most, are oblivious to the reality of harassment.
The enablement of Kanye’s abuse is a testament to why many women to this day never open up or come forward about the abuse they may have faced.
With this in mind, It leaves us questioning, If a powerful woman like Kim Kardashian, who’s not only wealthy but extremely powerful, can’t even be taken seriously as a victim of Kanye’s abuse, then what about the women who have no fame, wealth or power?
Making excuses for Kanye’s actions is extremely dangerous and problematic.
In a country like South Africa, where gender-based violence has become a common occurrence, the lives of women and children who continue to face abuse and harassment, never seem to be taken seriously.
It’s no secret that most of the time people or witnesses are often complicit and turn a blind eye to abuse.
The only time a woman’s life is taken seriously is when she ends up in a body bag.
South Africa has a number of international treaties and legislation that protect victims from gender-based violence and abuse. For example the Sexual Offences Act of 2007, the Domestic Violence Act of 1998, and Combatting of Trafficking in Human Persons Act of 2013, all aid in the protection of victims.
Similarly, victims can also seek professional help by contacting the South African Police Services and opening a case against perpetrators, as well as applying for a protection order at the Magistrates Court.
While there are a number of legislations and immediate actions that protect victims, these are not enough to alleviate the issues of GBV.
Gender-based violence and abuse are deeply rooted in the system of patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Therefore addressing GBV is way more complex than it actually seems.
As complex as it may seem, there is hope.
And that hope starts with holding men accountable for their actions.
In other news: WATCH: Trevor Noah says Kim-Kanye Pete Davidson feud could turn violent
