Looking at strategies on how to address gender based violence at DUT was the aim of the two-day Gender Forum Strategy Planning Workshop which took place in Durban recently.
The DUT Gender Forum is a long standing non-profit organisation operating on the DUT campus. One of its main objectives is to raise awareness about gender based violence and to provide advice and support to victims of this crime.
The workshop provided a platform for various organisations such as the DUT HIV/AIDS Centre, DUT Isolempilo Campus Health Clinic and the DUT Student Counselling Centre to set the context on gender-based issues by brainstorming and finding common ground on how to strategically plan and add to the University policy for more support and awareness on gender-based violence at university level.
One of the key presentations at the workshop was given by DUT’s Journalism Professor Anthony Collins who gave more insight on his research on how to look at reducing gender-based violence and improving victim support by using research and analysis instead of relying on traditional and institutional assumptions.
Prof Collins has an interdisciplinary critical social sciences background which includes cultural studies, psychology and media studies. He holds a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has worked at Rhodes University, Wits and UKZN. Much of his academic work has entailed developing new South African curriculum by applying critical theoretical frameworks to current social problems, for which he was awarded both a UKZN Distinguished Teacher Award and a HELTASA National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award.
“Sexual coercion is widespread, especially within social and romantic relationships as well as intimate partner violence within relationships which is the biggest problem and includes cases of murder. Perpetrators often rely on positions of institutional power and most incidents (over 95%) are not reported. Even when reported, many complaints are withdrawn. Violence is impulsive or expression of social norms not linked to other criminality. And most forms of violence are not linked to failures of security services, but normalisation of violence in social relationships and everyday life,” he said.
Prof Collins added that in terms of looking at solutions, there needs to be a move from reactive protests to consistent proactive intervention.
Some specific suggestions he made through his research the establishment of dedicated institutional mechanisms to reduce violence and improve safety as well as provide accessible, trusted, high profile integrated crisis support services. “Interventions should challenge these norms and provide alternatives rather than focusing on security and punishment,” he said.
– Waheeda Peters
Pictured: Prof Anthony Collins addressing gender based violence.
