THE PILLARS OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (2): FEAR

Research has shown that fear is the number one cause of many issues as it relates to humans. Many people react not to the circumstance that faces them but to their overarching fear of the unknown. Understanding this would help us understand why it is important for people to have a united front to dispel the fears that arise as a result of Gender Based Violence.

In this same vein, many victims of Gender Based Violence never share their stories that are necessary to put their predators behind bars due to fear of the unknown. These fears are deeply rooted in three main areas, Fear of scorn, fear of the predator and fear of the unknown.

Fear of the scorn, in a country as ours, there is a terrible tradition of scoring the oppressed. Many people victim-shame the prey and say it is their fault that these situations happen to them. Due to this reasons, many victims keep quiet about their abuse. This silence causes more victims to come as the predator grows on silence. This dastard habit that pervades the nation does more harm than good.

Fear of the Predator is another deep rooted fear that does not allow victims to speak out. More often than not, these predators are people placed in high positions that can change the trajectory of the lives of the victims and their families. The predators had played ‘goody-two-shoes’ for a very long time under the limelight that it is impossible for people to believe that they can be capable of such an act. This is why when the victims decide to speak out they are quickly shut down as trying to tarnish the predators image.

Lastly, Fear of the Unknown is a powerful fear that cripples the victim and strengthens the oppressor. In this case, the victim does not know what would happen if they speak. They are not sure about the path their lives would take after now. In fact, they do not know how the next day would play out. This fear is indeed powerful as it many victims are moved to take their own lives.

How can we help? The first steps we can take to ensure that this pillar of gender based violence is removed from our lives is to admit that these fears are present. If we continue to deny that victims have legitimate fears, then we continue to give life to the vices of the predators.

We can all actively participate in the fight against Gender Based Violence when we encourage victims to speak out and encourage them to be expressive. We must take an active part against victim shaming and see how the cases of Gender Based Violence would immediately dwindle. This is because, they need encouragement to speak out. They need to know that the community supports them and their endeavors. We can stop the virus of Gender Based Violence once we make up our mind to change the way we view the stories of victims.