Violence against women at universities mirrors what happens in broader society
The scourge of gender violence and femicide in higher institutions of learning is nothing but a reflection of what is happening in the broader society‚ say experts.Femicide continues to occur in academic spaces‚ with Zolile Khumalo from the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) losing her life this week at the hands of a man. She is not the only one. Many cases have been reported of young women falling prey to rapists and murderers in educational institutions.Khumalo was allegedly killed by her former boyfriend on Tuesday night at her Lonsdale student residence. The suspect, Sandile Mantsoe, is a former student at the institution.Dee Smythe‚ author of Rape Unresolved: Policing Sexual Offences in South Africa‚ said one cannot separate what happens in universities from broader society. "In terms of attitudes towards women — [there’s a] belief that men should and do have free and unfettered access to women’s bodies. [There’s also] the general lack of accountability when they hurt w...
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