Dress and violence : women should avoid dressing like “sluts” to avoid being raped

Abstract

Dress is integral to visual culture. Judges, cultural vigilantes and in some cases, females themselves, have expressed or supported the notion that a woman deserves to be violated for her choice of dress. Such choice of dress need not necessarily be deemed risqué - violence towards women has been justified in incidents where women have worn short skirts, trousers, and even the traditional kanga. It emerges that such punitive practices take place predominantly in patriarchal, conservative communities, said to be influenced by cultural values. Various facets of South African law cause tension in executing the law to protect victims of, for example rape, as there are conflicting approaches to women’s rights under customary law, the constitution and international human rights laws. This article aims to expand understanding of a complex and serious issue, namely, the perceived right to violate women due to their choice of dress – in this case the art – and the laws that are in place to protect victims.Kleredrag is ‘n integrale deel van visuele kultuur. Regters, kulturele buurtwaglede en soms selfs vroue ondersteun die gedagte dat ‘n vrou verdien om geskend te word as gevolg van haar klerasiekeuse. Sulke keuses is soms nie eers gewaagd nie - geweld teenoor vroue is al geregverdig in voorvalle waar vroue geklee was in kort rokkies, langbroeke, en selfs die traditionele kanga. Dit wil voorkom asof sulke regstellende voorvalle veral in patriargale, konserwatiewe gemeenskappe voorkom, oënskynlik beinvloed deur kulturele waardes. Etlike fasette van die Suid-Afrikaanse gereg veroorsaak spanning in die uitvoering van die gereg ter beskerming van slagoffers van byvoorbeeld verkragting, aangesien daar teenstrydige benaderings bestaan teenoor vroue se regte onder die vaandel van die gewoonreg, die grondwet sowel as internasionale menseregte. Hierdie artikel poog om die begrip van ‘n komplekse en ernstige vraagstuk, naamlik die veronderstelde reg om vroue te skend as gevolg van hulle klerasie-keuse – in hierdie geval die kuns – en die wet wat bestaan om die slagoffer te beskerm.