CYNTHIA LUNGU & TAPIWA NYASULU | What music’s #MeToo reckoning means for African women

Is the music industry having its #MeToo moment? With a string of powerful rap moguls and musicians facing allegations and lawsuits around sexual abuse, it appears a long-awaited reckoning is unfolding. 

The details are dizzying: sex workers trafficked across state lines; massive parties where men and women were victimised and assaulted; employees and romantic partners manipulated, controlled and exploited.

But make no mistake: the details that make us catch our breath as we read these stories are unfolding in private spaces all around us in Eastern and Southern Africa, where we work. 

Gender-based violence (GBV) in Africa is rooted in systemic issues such as poverty, lack of access to education, and cultural norms that perpetuate gender inequality. The violence experienced by many African women may also be worsened by weak legal protection, stigma and inadequate support systems, making it harder for victims to seek justice or escape abusive environments.

Both scenarios involve a misuse of power and inflict profound harm on women. The truth we all fear is that, if this can happen to someone with wealth and profile, how safe are the rest of us? Take recent data, for example, which indicates that 17% of women and girls in Southern Africa have experienced forced sex during their lifetime.

In Eastern and Southern Africa, adolescent girls are most at risk. In seven countries in the region, about 20% of people aged 15 to 24 years reported that they had experienced sexual violence from an intimate partner. 

The physical and mental impacts are devastating and often lifelong, ranging from physical disability, mental health challenges, loss of dignity and even death. Recent global data from UNAids, for example, highlights that those who have experienced gender-based violence are 1.5 times more likely to acquire HIV compared to those who have not.

This is made worse by the fact that most survivors of violence remain silent for fear of repercussions from the perpetrators, as well as potential stigma and discrimination from their communities. Though we are seeing a small increase in the number of cases of violence being reported, a large portion of perpetrators are never held accountable.

How things are improving

Despite these circumstances, we are seeing change. Throughout Africa, we are witnessing increased leadership towards positive masculinity and ensuring the rights of women and girls — from heads of state to religious and cultural leaders, and even within families and among peers.

One of the initiatives helping to drive such progress is 2gether 4 SRHR, a UN Joint Regional programme aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health and rights across Eastern and Southern Africa. Supported by the government of Sweden, the programme has helped improve the wellbeing of 640-million people since 2018.

About 44,000 healthcare workers have been trained through the programme to deliver services that respond to gender-based violence, and at least 10 national laws have been passed within the region, including laws which expand the prosecution of perpetrators in Eswatini, Lesotho and Uganda. 

To shift the needle, we also need comprehensive, survivor-centred responses. We’re inspired by one-stop services we’ve seen throughout the region, enabling survivors of rape, for example, to receive a wide range of assistance within the crucial first 72-hour window, when DNA evidence can still be collected. 

A safer world for everyone

Beyond service provision and policies, driving change means engaging everyone, including men and boys, to promote positive masculinities. By working with traditional and religious leaders to end harmful gender norms and sociocultural practices, and educating young people on sexuality education, we can better advocate for improved sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. 

Now is the time to end GBV once and for all.

Let us make it harder for the abusers in our midst to operate with impunity — whether they’re your once-favourite rapper or the guy dating your best friend. 

Cynthia Lungu, regional gender adviser, UNAids East and Southern Africa. 

Tapiwa Uchizi Nyasulu is a regional gender and human rights adviser, UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office 

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