I am participating in the Dickens Novella Challenge which is being hosted by Marsha Ingrao from Always Write blog (this is her latest post for the challenge: https://alwayswrite.blog/2023/02/13/dickenschallenge-novella-4-the-battle-of-life/); Trent McDonald from Trent’s world (https://trentsworld.blog/2023/02/07/the-third-annual-dickens-challenge-a-triple-threat/) and Yvette Prior (https://priorhouse.wordpress.com/2023/02/09/five-novella-descriptions-2023-dickenschallenge-read-one-novella-by-june-9th-post-2/).

You can read my first post about A Christmas Carol here: https://roberta-writes.com/2023/02/21/roberta-writes-dickens-novella-challenge-a-christmas-carol-dickenschallenge-readingcommunity/

You can read my second post about The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home here: https://roberta-writes.com/2023/02/28/roberta-writes-dickens-novella-challenge-the-cricket-on-the-hearth-a-fairy-tale-of-home-readingcommunity-dickens/

You can read my third post about The Chimes, A Goblin Story here: https://roberta-writes.com/2023/03/22/dark-origins-the-chimes-a-goblin-story-a-novella-by-charles-dickens/

This is my fourth post about The Battle of Life, A love story. It is also my last as I just can’t read The Haunted Man. I’ve tried three times and I can’t get into it. If you would like to read more about that particular story, you can find other readers contributions here: https://alwayswrite.blog/2023/06/09/2023-dickens-challenge-ending-soon/

The Battle of Life, a love story by Charles Dickens

The Battle of Life is a love story by Charles Dickens that was first published in 1846. It is the fourth of Dickens’ five Christmas Books. It is the only story in the collection that does not have a supernatural element.

The story is set in an English village which many years earlier had been the scene of a horrific battle. Some of the characters in the story compare life’s struggles with that battle.

The outstanding part of this story for me was the introduction. Dickens’ description of the great battle was amazing and has stayed with me. This is the first paragraph:

“Once upon a time, it matters little when, and in stalwart England, it matters little where, a fierce battle was fought. It was fought upon a long summer day when the waving grass was green. Many a wild flower formed by the Almighty Hand to be a perfumed goblet for the dew, felt its enamelled cup fill high with blood that day, and shrinking dropped. Many an insect deriving its delicate color from harmless leaves and herbs, was stained anew that day by dying men, and marked its frightened way with an unnatural track. The painted butterfly took blood into the air upon the edges of its wings. The stream ran red. The trodden ground became a quagmire, whence, from sullen pools collected in the prints of human feet and horses’ hoofs, the one prevailing hue still lowered and glimmered at the sun.”

This scene is so vivid I have it in my mind to draw it with oil pastels. Sadly, true to my character, I now have so many art projects on the go (an elephant, a hippo, a dancing girl’s head, and an orchid), my plan has gone on a back burner.

Plot summary

Two sisters, Grace and Marion, live in a village built on the great battlefield. Their father, Dr Jeddler, a good natured widower, is rather an unusual character and lightens the problems in his own and his daughters lives with exaggerated humour and jest. Dr Jeddler is the guardian to Alfred Heathfield, a lovely young man who is engaged to Marion and who, at the beginning of the story, is leaving for London to complete his studies to become a doctor. When taking his leave of the family, Alfred entrusts the care of Marion to her older sister, Grace. It is clear from an early stage in the book that Grace is in love with Alfred but is prepared to sacrifice her love due to her loyalty and love for Marion. The family is tended to by two servants, Clemency Newcome and Ben Britain.

During the time that Alfred is away, Marion befriends another young man, Michael Warden. Michael has run through a lot of his inherited wealth due to ‘bad’ living and his two solicitors, Snitchey and Craggs, are helping him sort out his affairs. they have advised Michael to leave and be away for about six years. The two lawyers believe that Michael has talked Marion into eloping with him, but they make no comment to him in this regard. Clemency is also of the opinion that Marion is in love with Michael having seen her having a clandestine meeting with Michael late one evening. On the day Alfred is due to return, Marion disappears and it is assumed she has eloped with Michael Warden.

Six years pass and Clemency has married Ben and set up an tavern in the village.. Alfred has fallen in love with Grace and the pair have married and have a daughter called Marion. Michael Warden comes back to the village and is unmarried. He reveals that he asked Marion to marry him but she had said no and had gone away to live with her Aunt Martha. Marion knew that Grace loved Alfred far more than she did and had sacrificed her own love and life to enable Alfred to fall in love with Grace.

Marion returns to the village and is reunited with her family and with Michael Warden whom she ends up marrying.

For me, the storyline was a little unrealistic as I don’t believe young girls of Marion’s age make such huge personal sacrifices. They are too young to be so empathetic and selfless. However, it was still a good story and the beginning was superb.

Quotes from The Battle of Life, a love story

I believe, Mr. Snitchey,’ said Alfred, ‘there are quiet victories and struggles, great sacrifices of self, and noble acts of heroism, in it – even in many of its apparent lightnesses and contradictions – not the less difficult to achieve, because they have no earthly chronicle or audience – done every day in nooks and corners, and in little households, and in men’s and women’s hearts – any one of which might reconcile the sternest man to such a world, and fill him with belief and hope in it.”

“For a long time, no village girl would dress her hair or bosom with the sweetest flower from that field of death: and after many a year had come and gone, the berries growing there, were still believed to leave too deep a stain upon the hand that plucked them.”

“We part with tender relations stretching far behind us, that never can be exactly renewed, and with others dawning – yet before us.”

Do you enjoy Dickens? Have you read these Christmas novellas? Let me know in the comments.

Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2023/06/08/more-from-groton/

My husband was declared completely recovered and able to travel in early May. On 27 May he boarded a plane for Dubai and then a second flight to Turkey. He went to Istanbul for work. I would have liked to go with him but both my sons were preparing for exams and they both started writing this week. I needed to stay home to help Michael prepare and be available for Greg to off load all his anxieties on. Greg has been achieving unbelievable marks in the high nineties and even four or five 100%. The higher his marks, the higher his anxiety. Weird but true.

Anyhow, TC headed off on his own and spent his one weekend in Turkey touring Cappadocia and the Derinkuyu underground city.

This is what Wikipedia says about Derinkuyu:

“The Derinkuyu underground city is an ancient multi-level underground city of the Median Empire in the town of Derinkuyu in Nevşehir Province, Turkey, extending to a depth of approximately 85 metres (280 ft). It is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found throughout Cappadocia.

The underground city at Derinkuyu could be closed from the inside with large rolling stone doors. Each floor could be closed off separately.”

If you’d like to learn more about Derinkuyu, you can do so here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derinkuyu_underground_city

This time, he took proper photographs with context (I gave him very clear instructions beforehand – haha!) and here they are:

The following pictures are inside the underground city:

TC’s bedroom in the hotel:

This post relates to five challenges, two are photography challenges and three are poetry challenges.

The challenges you can join in on WordPress are as follows:

Terri from Second Wind Leisure Perspectives Sunday Stills Challenge for Rivers. You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2023/05/28/sunday-stills-down-by-the-water-a-river-runs-through-it/

Cee’s CFFC challenge: Colorful Monochrome. You can join in here: https://ceenphotography.com/2023/05/30/cffc-colorful-monochromes/

Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge: Spirit animal. You can join in here: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/05/30/tankatuesday-weekly-poetry-challenge-no-322-5-30-2023-spirit-animal-poetry/

Here are two of my cake art displays relating to rivers:

The following picture is cake art in monochrome:

Tanka Tuesday

This week, Colleen has provided a quiz which each poet must take to determine their spirit animal. The poems should be about the spirit animal.

My spirit animal is a butterfly.

Love’s price

Butterfly

Wings spotted with blood

Reminder

Of battles

Often fought and sometimes won

The high price of love

Strength in fragility

Butterfly

Delicate looking

Graceful

Wings fragile

Yet sturdy and flexible

Enabling fast flight

by Robbie Cheadle

Lastly, I entered five poems in Freya Pickard’s Pure Haiku Orchid challenge and three were selected for publication. This is the link to the first haiku: https://purehaiku.wordpress.com/2023/05/30/5-30-4/

Thank you to talented artist and costume designer, Resa McConaghy, for this wonderful review of Lion Scream. Resa’s lovely blog, “Graffit Lux and Murals”, showcases street art from all over the world so do pop over and take a look around.

Lion Scream – by Robbie Cheadle

I thought I knew what was happening to earth’s animals. Now I know what I knew, but better.

Through the use of syllabic poetry, photography, video and text, Robbie takes us on a learning tour of South Africa’s creatures and their environment. I even learned a new term: Sixth Mass extinction.

I don’t know much about poetic structures, but I know what poetry I like when I read it. I like all of Robbie’s  poems, even when the message is haunting.

I also know I love animals. Please enjoy Robbie’s videos! They are only a few seconds long.

Robbie teaches about the BIG FIVE: Rhinos, Lions, Elephants, Leopards and African Buffalo.

Did you know Rhinos cry tears when poachers dehorn them?

Continue reading here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/2023/05/25/lion-scream-by-robbie-cheadle

The prompt for Terri from Second Wind Leisure Perspective’s Sunday Stills Challenge last week was pets and playgrounds. You can find Terri’s post here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2023/05/21/sunday-stills-appreciating-our-pets-and-playgrounds/ Here are a few of my fondant and cake art creations:

Thursday Doors Writing Challenge

Dan is currently running a Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. It closes on 31 May. You can read more about it here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2023/

For some reasons I have struggled for inspiration this month. Three poems did eventually come to me when I re-looked at the prompt doors.

At the top

Trudging up

Intimidated

Something lurks

Good or bad

Behind the dreary facade

we open the door

Revelations

Is there hope

Illumination

Lurking there

Through the door

A miracle brightly lit

New revelations

Fake door

Pointless door

A sad mockery

No substance

Leads nowhere

Makes a fool of those who seek

Instant fulfilment

By Robbie Cheadle

Mom, Michael and I flew to Cape Town on Thursday, 4 May. It is approximately a 2 hour flight and its the first time I’ve flow domestically since before Covid. I don’t dislike flying, I just prefer to make road trips and stop off in funny little downs and investigate them. The flight was fine and we arrived at 12pm as planned.

After settling into our hotel, we went to the V&A Waterfront which is the old Cape Town Harbour. It is still a working harbour but has been glamourized and has a large shopping mall, an aquarium, art galleries, the beautiful Victoria and Alfred Hotel, and lots of restaurants and watering holes.

These are a few of the pictures I took for Dan’s Thursday Doors:

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2023/05/18/light-leftovers/

We flew home on Sunday, after a lovely day at the South African Festival of Children’s Literature in Somerset West. On Wednesday, Michael had a check up with the ENT who wasn’t happy with the state of his sinuses (red and inflamed) and ordered a whole lot of blood tests. Michael had blood taken on Thursday, an awful experience because the nurse couldn’t find a vein. Michael ended up sweating and pale and about to faint. That evening his blood pressure went up and stayed up. On Wednesday this week he was admitted into hospital with hypertension. He’s had a bunch of tests but they haven’t revealed the root cause of any of his problems and the hypertension has been put down to an over-reaction by his body to salt and anxiety (medically induced – how ironic and appropriate). We now need to change his diet to reduce salt drastically – yay! At least his heart, kidneys and liver are fine so I should be happy, it would be nice to have a root cause though. More tests will be coming up.

The poor boy’s arm looks like a pin cushion and is covered in huge bruises from where more blood was taken the the drip for the CT scan was put up. The radiologist couldn’t find a working vein for the drip so he had to have an angiogram done to find a suitable vein. What a morning we had yesterday.

I wrote these poems in the hospital for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge which asked for a poem using a synonym of work and play.

Vein strike

Bloodless veins

Cause drip malfunction

Assignment

Incomplete

Angiogram divines vein

Drama is over

The Thief

Blood swooshes

Heart pumps frenziedly

Veins expand

And lengthen

As stealthy, silent killer

Steals vitality

You can join in Tanka Tuesday here: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/05/16/tankatuesday-weekly-poetry-challenge-no-320-5-15-2023/

Rebecca was recommended to me by my dear blogging friend, Rebecca Budd. Rebecca Budd is a wonderful appreciator of good literature and, together with her sister, Sarah, has a blog called The Book Dialogue where they discuss all sorts of interesting books. You can find The Book Dialogue here: https://thebookdialogue.com/

Introduction to Rebecca

Rebecca is the story of a lonely and unnamed orphan (the narrator) who is the paid companion to a wealthy American women, Mrs Van Hopper (Mrs VH), at the beginning of the story. Mrs VH is rather nosy and interfering, she continuously embarrasses her English companion with her crass and obvious attempts at social climbing.

The pair are staying in a luxurious hotel on the French Riviera and the companion meets the wealthy land owner, Mr de Winter, through Mrs VH’s pushy and overbearing behaviour. Mrs HV is fascinated by Mr de Winter (Maxim) because he is believed to be suffering from a broken heart following the death of his wife through accidental drowning. Mrs VH shares what she knows of the story with her companion.

Mrs VH becomes ill and is confined to bed under the care of a nurse. This leaves her companion free to seek her own entertainment and Mr de Winter invites her to have luncheon with him. His interest in the young companion, only 21 to his 42, increases and the pair start going about together in his car. Mr de Winter invites the young narrator to call him Maxim. He also gifts her a book of poetry which is inscribed with a message from his deceased wife, Rebecca. The narrator, who has fallen in love with Maxim, is instantly jealous of Rebecca and feels intimidated by her memory. The narrator rips the signed page out of the poetry book and burns it.

Mrs VH finally recovers and wants to leave Monte Carlo and return to New York in America. She will meet up with her daughter and grandchild there. The narrator is devastated and seeks out Maxim to tell him she is leaving. Unexpectedly, he asks her to marry him, which despite some reservations, the narrator agrees to do.

After a whirlwind wedding and honeymoon, the new Mrs de Winter finds herself mistress of Manderley, the ancestral home of Mr de Winter. The narrator soon realises that the spirit of the late Rebecca pervades throughout the house and is deliberately kept alive by the creepy housekeeper, Mrs Danvers. The second Mrs de Winter believes she is competing for attention from everyone, including her new husband, with the ghost of Rebecca. These intrusive thoughts heavily impact on her relationship with her husband and her ability to play her role as the mistress of the manor.

One of the interesting quotes that highlight the narrator’s feelings in this regard is as follows:

“I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead. If there was some woman in London that Maxim loved, someone he wrote to, visited, dined with, slept with, I could fight her. We would stand on common ground. I should not be afraid. Anger and jealousy were things that could be conquered. One day the woman would grow old or tired or different, and Maxim would not love her anymore. But Rebecca would never grow old. Rebecca would always be the same. And she and I could not fight. She was too strong for me.”

The narrator feels that she is being haunted by the ghost of Rebecca:

“Rebecca, always Rebecca. Wherever I walked in Manderley, wherever I sat, even in my thoughts and in my dreams, I met Rebecca. I knew her figure now, the long slim legs, the small and narrow feet. Her shoulders, broader than mine, the capable clever hands. Hands that could steer a boat, could hold a horse. Hands that arranged flowers, made the models of ships, and wrote “Max from Rebecca” on the flyleaf of a book. I knew her face too, small and oval, the clear white skin, the cloud of dark hair. I knew the scent she wore, I could guess her laughter and her smile. If I heard it, even among a thousand others, I should recognize her voice. Rebecca, always Rebecca. I should never be rid of Rebecca. Perhaps”

The relationship between Mrs Danvers and the late Rebecca is rather mysterious as Mrs Danvers cared for Rebecca as a child and has an unhealthy obsession’s with her. Rebecca is not portrayed in a good light, even by Mrs Danvers, as she is described as being repeatedly unfaithful to her husband, in particular with her first cousin, Jack Favell. Mrs Danvers makes it clear she despises the new Mrs de Winter for attempting to take Rebecca’s place, but she does not condemn Rebecca for her infidelity or for her incestuous relationship with her first cousin.

Rebecca flouts the morality and patriarchal attitudes of the time with her sexual wantonness and as a result, she was despised by her husband and the manager of the estate, Frank Crawley. The narrator gets on well with Frank and confides in him to a certain extent. When she compares herself unfavourably to Rebecca, Frank says:

“You have qualities that are just as important, far more so, in fact. It’s perhaps cheeky of me to say so, I don’t know you very well. I’m a bachelor, I don’t know very much about women, I lead a quiet sort of life down here at Manderley, as you know, but I should say that kindliness, and sincerity, and if I may say so—modesty—are worth far more to a man, to a husband, than all the wit and beauty in the world.”

The setting of Rebecca, the beautiful but cold and creepy Manderley, gives the story a gothic and dark flavour. This is exacerbated by Mrs Danvers who is described as a tall and gaunt woman who dresses in deep black clothes. Her physical appearance is almost that of a corpse as she has a skull-like face, high cheekbones, hollow eyes, and a pale complexion. It almost seems as if she lost her own life when Rebecca lost hers. Mrs Danvers turns out to be the villain of the story and her peculiar and devoted behaviour made me wonder whether she wasn’t in love with Rebecca.

Jack Favell comes across as a drunken and selfish man who didn’t care for Rebecca at all, but just used her for his personal amusement and as a meal ticket. Rebecca’s relationship with such a small minded man, who is prepared to blackmail Mr de Winter, rather showed her up as being a foolish and self centred woman.

Themes of Rebecca

Love and Marriage –

The narrator and Mr de Winter have a short and intense courtship which culminates in marriage after a few weeks. The new Mrs de Winter is very young and insecure and doubts Maxim’s love for her after they return to Manderley and she discovers what a strong character the late Rebecca was. She doesn’t understand that Maxim hated his deceased wife and does love her for her very sweet childishness and innocence. She loves him passionately.

“I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first love. For it is a fever, and a burden too, whatever the poets may say. They are not brave, the days when we are twenty-one. They are full of little cowardices, little fears without foundation, and one is so easily bruised, so swiftly wounded, one falls to the first barbed word.”

When Maxim confides in the narrator that her murdered his first wife, he believes she cannot love him.

“He had never loved her, never, never. They had never known one moment’s happiness together. Maxim was talking and I listened to him, but his words meant nothing to me. I did not really care. “I thought about Manderley too much,” he said. “I put Manderley first, before anything else. And it does not prosper, that sort of love. They don’t preach about it in the churches. Christ said nothing about stones, and bricks, and walls, the love that a man can bear for his plot of earth, his soil, his little kingdom. It does not come into the Christian creed.”

Rebecca and Maxim were married but their relationship was a deceitful and unhappy one which ended in Rebecca’s early death. Rebecca lied to Maxim at the end of her life, goading him into killing her. Maxim feels extreme guilt about murdering his first wife and finds it difficult to overcome these emotions, especially when the newly weds return to Manderley after their honeymoon.

There are other types of love in Rebecca. Mrs Danvers unshakable and desperate love for Rebecca and Rebecca and Jack Favell’s underhanded infidelity.

Death and Memory –

Death is a pervasive theme in Rebecca. Manderley lies in the shadow of the dead Rebecca and the entire mansion is infiltrated with her spirit and personality. Mrs Danvers is a slave to the ghost of Rebecca and maintains her rooms as shrines to the dead woman.

Maxim is haunted by the murder he committed even though, as we learn much later, Rebecca is dying of a terminal disease.

The narrator is obsessed with the ghost of Rebecca and sees herself as a poor replacement. This obsession quickly dies when the narrator learns that Maxim never loved Rebecca, and had, in fact, murdered her. Admittedly, it is a little hard to understand how such a young and innocent woman could so easily accept and forgive murder by her husband, especially murder of his first wife.

“She was dead. She had been dead now for a year. She lay buried in the crypt of the church with all the other dead de Winters.”

Justice –

There is a strange justice in the story because although Maxim is exonerated from Rebecca’s death which is chalked up to suicide due to her terminal illness, Manderley, the home he loves is burned down by Mrs Danvers.

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,

And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea.”

It was a mixed up portrayal of justice though. Did Rebecca deserve to die given how cruel and evil she was? She wanted to die so wasn’t her death a form of suicide as she goaded Maxim into shooting her in a fit of rage? Did Maxim deserve to lose the home he loved? I am still not sure, but the ending was appropriate.

Deceit –

There are a lot of lies and misrepresentations presented in Rebecca. There is also a lot of manipulative behaviour.

Maxim lies about the circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death on numerous occasions.

Rebecca presents one persona to the world and another to Maxim and Mrs Danvers. Rebecca lies to Maxim about being pregnant by another man in order to goad him into killing her. Rebecca sees the doctor in London under an assumed identity.

Mrs Danvers tries to convince the narrator that Maxim loved Rebecca and that she is unwanted. She encourages the narrator to commit suicide. Mrs Danvers also influences the narrator into dressing up as the same character as Rebecca had at the fancy dress ball. She deliberately tries to cause discord between Maxim and his new wife.

“I won’t push you. I won’t stand by you. You can jump of your own accord. What’s the use of your staying here at Manderley? You’re not happy. Mr. de Winter doesn’t love you. There’s not much for you to live for, is there? Why don’t you jump now and have done with it? Then you won’t be unhappy any more.”

Sexuality –

Rebecca is very sexual and has affairs with several men including her first cousin. She is sexually unrestrained and some of the Manderley staff know about her behaviour, including Frank.

Maxim is quite sexually restrained and the sex life between the narrator and him seems to die when they return to the haunted Manderley. It is reignited once Maxim confesses to Rebecca’s murder and the narrator is freed from her feelings of inferiority.

Mrs Danvers appears to love Rebecca and their relation could have been lesbian. It is not entirely clear but something Mrs Danvers says about Rebecca not caring about any men could be indicative.

My opinion

I really enjoyed Rebecca. I loved the dark descriptions which seemed gloomy and creepy even when the subject was something beautiful and bright like flowers. I loved how the author portrayed Mrs Danvers and also the young innocence of the narrator.

Rebecca is a terrific novel with lots of action: murder, two boats sinking, blackmail, terminal illness and a fire. It is exciting and fast paced and is also a compelling psychological thriller.

Terri’s Sunday Stills prompt this week is purple. Purple is not my favourite colour but I do like mauve and the more pinky purples. You can join in Terri’s challenge here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2023/05/14/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-in-a-purple-haze/

Tanka Tuesday

Terri also provided the picture for this week’s Tanka Tuesday challenge hosted by Colleen. You can join in here: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/05/09/tankatuesday-weekly-poetry-challenge-no-319-5-9-2023/

Shackled

Elusive freedom

Hovers just beyond my grasp

Shackled as I am

By my man-made needs and wants

Which bind me tightly

By Robbie Cheadle

This is an additional haiku I wrote which is unrelated to the challenge

Lonely Death

Outliving your friends

Means there is no one to mourn

When death comes calling

By Robbie Cheadle

My son, Michael, had to do a project on gender based violence (“GBV”) in South Africa for a project at school. I am sharing it here as I thought it was very insightful and well researched.

What is GBV?

GBV encompasses any type of violence that is caused by the exploitation of unequal power in relationships between genders.

GBV in South Africa includes instances of sexual, physical, mental and economic harm inflicted by one party, usually a man, on other parties, usually women and/or children in private or in public.

The perpetrator may or may not know the victim depending on the circumstances. Some examples of GBV in partner/marriage relationships include threats of violence, manipulation and coercion of the victim.

Picture credit: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/11/24/south-africa-broken-promises-aid-gender-based-violence-survivors

GBV ‘hot spots’ in South Africa

South Africa has one of the highest rates of GBV in the world. GBV in South Africa includes rape, murder of women, and domestic abuse. Key statistics on GBV quoted by Ballard Brief:

1. “The rate of murders on females in South Africa is approximately 24,6 per 100,000 females which is nearly six times the global average;
2. Although there is enacted legislation and general government action in South Africa, the instances of rape have only decreased by 6% since 1996;
3. Approximately 28% of South African males have admitted to at least one rape and of that number, 46% are repeat offenders.

Picture credit: https://ewn.co.za/2019/12/29/women-take-centre-stage-in-protests-against-gender-based-violence

According to an article in the Sowetan Live entitled ‘Eastern Cape accounts for most GBV cases with twice national rate’, the Eastern Cape has emerged as the leading province for cases of GBV.

Abrahams said while cases of femicide had decreased since 2017, the caseload for the police was still very high.

Professor Naheema Abrahams from the South African Medical Research Council said the following about GBV in the Eastern Cape at the Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in Midrand in October 2022: “The Eastern Cape unfortunately is our province that has more than twice the national rate [of femicide]. About 22,000 women were killed in 2017 compared to 14,000 in KwaZulu-Natal. Limpopo doesn’t have as many cases, but the number is still higher than the global average,” she said.

Abrahams said there had also been anecdotal evidence, which showed the murder of women post 2017 had increased, similarly to that of children compared to 2021.

This finding is further supported by an article in the Daily Maverick dated 03 December 2019 entitled ‘Murder, rape and robbery: Eastern Cape women and children under siege’. The article introduces it’s topic as follows:

“Shocking statistics released by the MEC for Safety and Liaison in the Eastern Cape has shown an alarmingly high incidence of crimes against women and children in the province, coupled with a dismal conviction rate — but activists say that government should stop doing the same thing over and over and expect different results.”

The articles continues to say: “From April 2018 to March 2019 2,695 children were raped in the Eastern Cape and 375 were sexually assaulted, 4,082 women were raped and 432 sexually assaulted. The total number of crimes against women and children, including murder, attempted murder, assault and robbery was more than 29,000 — almost 1,000 more than the previous year.

Of cases opened with the police, MEC for Safety and Liaison in the Eastern Cape, Weziwe Tikana, said there were 399 convictions in cases where children were raped and only 40 convictions for the 153 children murdered during the same period.”

Picture credit: https://www.unjaniclinic.co.za/2022/12/01/gender-based-violence-a-serious-problem-that-south-africa-needs-to-face/

Reasons for GBV in South Africa and effect on society

The three main reasons for GBV in South Africa are as follows:

1. Gender inequality rooted in patriarchy.
   1. Many cultures and religions in South Africa promote male superiority and treat it as the norm.
   1. Patriarchal attitudes lead men to believe they are entitled to sex with women and that dominating a woman demonstrates their masculinity.
2. Poverty
   1. Women and girls living in poverty are more likely to be sexually exploited including trafficking and prostitution.
   1. An inability for women to leave abusive relationships due to a lack of financial and other resources.
3. Lack of implementation of protective laws

The Daily Maverick article quotes various people about the situation of GBV in the Eastern Cape.

“Pastor Neville Goldman has been working with the police to fight crime in Nelson Mandela Bay’s gang-ridden areas.

“I will tell women that I can get them a job today, but they don’t want to take it because they want to be at school when the children come home — they fear their kids will be raped on their way home.”

Similarly, a counsellor, who asked not to be named, said:

“We hear the girls talk on a Monday morning. They will tell each other that they were raped, but they never report it. It is like they have given up hope that something will be done,” she said.”

The effects of GBV on society are as follows:

1. GBV is a human rights violation which undermines the victim’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem. It effects both physical and mental health and can lead to self harm, isolation, depression, and suicidal attempts.
2. GBV destroys the victim’s physical and psychological integrity. Victim’s don’t feel safe and secure in their environments and are unable to function normally in their families, communities and societies as a result.
3. GBV is discriminatory and results in affected women and children being marginalized and feeling helpless and inferior. GBV undermines the natural and normal roles of for both men and women in society.
4. GBV is an obstacle to gender equality and serves to cultivate a heteronormative society. Gender equality allows both genders to play meaningful roles in society and to enjoy equal opportunities and equal visibility.
5. GBV is under-reported and there is often impunity for perpetrators. Societal suppression of exposing GBV from others makes it difficult to denounce and for the victims to seek help. The children of abused women are impacted psychologically and often form the impression that this behaviour is normal or justified. This becomes an enabler for a culture of violence and GBV.
6. GBV has a high economic cost. It costs society because medical, psychological, police, and justice services are required to deal with the fall out. In addition, victims of abuse usually underperform at school and work and are frequently unemployed.

Picture credit: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-09-01-shocking-stats-on-gender-based-violence-during-lockdown-revealed/

Picture credit: https://www.informationng.com/2018/06/south-african-woman-begs-police-to-arrest-her-husband.html

Restorative intervention programme and collaborative action

The following steps and programmes will help to reduce GBV in the Eastern Cape and South Africa more generally:

1. Government must implement laws to address GBV. In January 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa implemented laws aimed at reducing GBV through a victim centred focus. The laws are there, but they need to be better enforced.
   1. South African could follow the approach of the UK where there are law enforcement officers that deal only with domestic violence and who checkup regularly on the victims and perpetrators. This makes the perpetrators think twice before abusing their victims.
   1. Protection orders need to be enforced better so that abusers can stalk their victims and continue to abuse them. Community members could assist with this be reporting stalking to the police and helping to protect victims.
2. Funding must be provided to support victims with shelter, medical, legal, and psychological resources.
   1. There need to be more homes for victims of abuse where they can remain long term so they don’t have to return to the abuser due to having no-where to live. The Daily Maverick article stated the following: ““I think we only have four shelters in Port Elizabeth. But also, women can’t stay there for an extended period of time because shelters do not have money. If they have nowhere else to go, they are often forced to go back to their abusers.

“We are basically pushing women back to situations they have been in before — and got hurt,” Ziehl said.”

Picture credit: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-03-17-down-and-out-in-johannesburg-understanding-homelessness/

Picture credit: https://www.theceomagazine.com/business/management-leadership/women-in-business-south-africa/

Picture credit: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-04-30-517f08545f703/

• Victims need to be empowered through upliftment and education, so they are able to gain meaningful employment and support themselves and their children. Churches and other societies already try to provide some of these services, but they need more funding. Corporates and businesses can assist by providing pro bono training on how to use computers, how to type, and other useful skills.

Picture credit: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-27337520

• Victims need to be provided with counselling and rehabilitation. Funding needs to be provided for this. Churches, schools and other social organisations need to educate people about the roles of men and women in society. Sexist attitudes need to be strongly discouraged and there needs to be continuous strong messaging that girls are as good as boys and deserve the same opportunities and treatment as men and boys. Children, in particular, need to be taught about respect and equality. Children need to understand that violence is never an acceptable solution to problems and issues.

• There need to be crisis centres that provide immediate help to victims of rape and GBV. Police, judges, and counsellors must be trained to properly manage and deal with cases of sexual assault and GBV. Medical treatment must be provided to victims and a place in a shelter provided if necessary.

Picture credit: https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/opinion/sa-women-live-in-fear-for-365-days-of-being-the-next-gbv-victim-11fae6d3-6e3f-411a-963a-0fb2ae437622

What can I do?

I can always speak respectfully to women and girls and treat them as equals.

I can, and have, helped prepare rape packs for institutions at our local church.

I can write books where male and female characters have equal status in society and both sexes have equal opportunities.

Source	URL
Daily Maverick	https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-12-03-murder-rape-and-robbery-eastern-cape-women-and-children-under-siege/
Sowetan Live	https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-11-01-eastern-cape-accounts-for-most-gbv-cases-with-twice-national-rate
UNHCR	https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/protection/gender-based-violence
News 24	https://www.news24.com/life/relationships/love/her_story/violence-against-women-is-staggeringly-high-in-south-africa-20221202
Safer Spaces	https://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/gender-based-violence-in-south-africa#:~:text=Gender%2Dbased%20violence%20(GBV),and%20traditions%20in%20South%20Africa.
Ballard Brief	https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/gender-based-violence-against-women-in-south-africa