Gender-Based Violence Against Women - Have NGOs Done Their Part?

A man sent his wife to go and buy mealie-meal, but she spent the money on beer. In punishing her, he beat her to death and ran away. Such horrid stories are neither regional nor strange. They show what is happening in the world. To put an end to this, many Non-Governmental Organisations advocating for women's rights have come on the scene. These organisations have come with the view of helping victims of gender-based violence. Are there any notable successes achieved by these organisations? What is the true picture on the ground?

Successes scored by Non-Governmental Organisations

In Western countries, the rights of women have been well protected by the law. This has been partly due to efforts by women movements and Non-Governmental Organisations. In developing countries, Telecoustic the attitude toward the rights of women has started improving. In addition, these organisations have provided material support to the victims. They have offered food and shelter to women and girls who have fallen prey to gender-based violence.

In some critical cases, the perpetrators of gender-based violence are breadwinners. Therefore, these organisations have risen to the challenge of offering financial support to the victims. However, have all the victims been reached by these organisations? What are some other realities we need to understand?

Facing the bitter truth

Consistent research has revealed that the ugly figures we see only represent a small fraction of the truth. The cases that go unreported are much more than what makes up the official figures. In the recent past, a small period of activism against gender-based violence against women brought surprising results. In one developing country, this period saw an increase in the number of women being killed by their husbands. The women organisations rose to the challenge and condemned this trend.

Other realities and the way forward

In reality, women organisations cannot handle all cases coming up. Therefore, figures show that even with these women organisations working hard, the problem has continued growing. Interestingly, there are times when the situation seems to improve on paper. But in reality, the problem continues growing with many women being assaulted by their spouses. Naturally, it is very clear that Non-Governmental Organisations have really tried their best. But the efforts spent by these organisations have just been able to supplement the efforts of governments. In addition, greed and selfishness have soiled the process. While it true that such organisations have done their part, there is more to do. As long as the situation continues with the current state of affairs, women organisations should rise to the challenge and do their part adequately.

I am Ernest Mwaba. I have a blog which covers a variety of pressing issues at http://wwwmwabaernest.blogspot.com/ and I have been maintaining it for the past two years. I enjoy writing in a manner that provokes thinking and reveal unique facts we rarely examine. I invite you to visit my blog today and learn about many issues that we face on a daily basis.