Kang, Kyunghee and Kim, Taekyoon, "Institutionalizing Gender-Based Violence within African Democracies: A Comparative Analysis of South Africa and Botswana", Africa Development 48, 2023 (forthcoming)
Abstract Even though the global society recognizes the eradication of gender-based violence as a crucial target for the promotion of human rights and the achievement of sustainable development of the world, violence against women has seldom been addressed in academic interventions. In the African region where diverse socio-cultural and institutional gender discriminative factors design unequal power relations between women and men, the prevalence of gender-based violence is particularly critical. Focusing on the institutional implications of violence against women, the comparative analysis of South Africa and Botswana, both of which have established democratic regimes after their independence from the United Kingdom, reveals the significance of the constitutions and women’s political representation. The divergence between the two states’ legal and political approaches dealing with gender equality and human rights elaborates the role of gender-specific institutions on the prevalence of violence against women. This study also uncovers the limitations of existing strategies and proposes better understanding of inequality within gender relations and its reflection within the frame of institutions as a better way to resolve violence against women and achieve gender justice.
Keywords: gender and development, gender-based violence, democracy, constitution, women’s political participation, gender justice. |
