The Escalation of Gender-based Violence during Lockdown as a Practical Theological Concern in the South African Context

Abstract

The year 2020 will be remembered as the year in which the coronavirus managed to disturb almost the entire planet from many of its activities. During the lockdown, which saw more than 195 countries in the world trying to combat the virus, gender-based violence in South Africa rose at an alarming rate. The skyrocketing statistics reported to police during this period raises a lot of concern as to why, instead of lockdown uniting families and marriages, reports of violence are on the rise. Aside from other factors that the research will unveil, theologically the church is not innocent of its patriarchal inequalities that were entrenched for many centuries now, hence the study will focus on the problem from a theological viewpoint. The traditions of subordinating and persecuting women and girls is a serious concern that cannot be neglected, especially during a time when people were supposed to make use of the lockdown to promote togetherness in their homes, instead of inflicting violence on women and children. It is the intention of this paper to investigate the possible reasons why women and children are the most targeted people for violence during this difficult time.