A woman was allegedly raped while working in a hospital. A young girl was allegedly gang-raped and filmed on school property during school hours. Women, girls and boys are raped on their walks to public transport, to their jobs and schools. Men are assaulted walking to and from work, are mugged and beaten. There are […]
Jen Thorpe
Jennifer is a feminist, activist and advocate for women's rights. She has a Masters in Politics from Rhodes University, and a Masters in Creative Writing from UCT.
In 2010 she started a women's writing project called 'My First Time'. It focuses on women's stories of significant first time experiences. Buy the book on the site http://myfirsttimesa.com or via Modjaji Books.
Jen's first novel, The Peculiars, came out in February 2016 and is published by Penguin. Get it in good book stores, and on Takealot.com
Posted inNews/Politics
Cabinet reshuffle lets the baddies win, while we all watch
The latest cabinet reshuffle is interesting to be polite. Someone might say that I should be grateful for the disastrous governmental leadership shown at the moment, because it means that I will always have a job. In a country with the highest rape rate in the world (of countries not at war) a job in […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Torture: Does the government care?
Many of you will have heard the news this morning that the United Nations has heavily criticised the South African government for failing to eradicate torture. Earlier this week there were two reports of torture at the hands of the police. In one report, a member of the South African National Defence Force alleged that […]
Posted inEquality, Lifestyle
If you don’t know what it means to be a feminist, don’t say you’re not one
Oh my days. It is entirely frustrating when you represent a cause, only to hear someone say that your cause is irrelevant because they don’t understand what it is. Bev Merriman, you just made me feel very, very ill. It’s like someone saying they’re going to speed, because so far, speeding hasn’t been bad for […]
Posted inEquality, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Sex sells sick boobs
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Who doesn’t love to have an extra feel of their or their partner’s breasts to check them out for health and safety? It’s essential and if you’re not sure how to do it, have a look at this guide on how to cop an educated feel. Remember that this […]
Posted inGender violence, News/Politics
A Zambian embarrassment at the Victim Empowerment Conference
I have had the fortune (or misfortune … I’m not quite sure yet) to be at the International Conference on Victim Empowerment this week. We began yesterday with 12 hours of travelling, no food and shower that I had to run circles in to get wet and I had hoped that today would be better. […]
Posted inLifestyle
F*** her and her violated vagina — an ode to commenters on TL
To all of you who go on about women having equal rights, this is for you. To all of you who condemn feminism and liken it to an impediment, this is for you. To all of you who think your children will be fine growing up in a society that espouses violence against women, and […]
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Gender equality an unrealistic dream for SADC
Gender-based violence (GBV) is not a single crime committed in a vacuum. It is committed daily and targets “women, gay men, lesbians, transgenders, transsexuals, intersex, girls [and] boys”. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Gender Protocol [1] signed by all states except Mauritius and Botswana [2] states that GBV “Means all acts perpetrated against women, […]
Posted inGeneral
It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it
We’ve all heard that line from parents, grandparents and other elders, but what if it actually applies to everything we say? The way we talk about groups of people in some way constructs them in the world around us. It shapes our expectations of people, their abilities, their strengths, and weaknesses. Our understanding of good […]
Posted inGeneral
Alice in Plunderland
Alice Walker spoke with poise and compassion when she delivered the 11th Steve Biko lecture at UCT last Thursday evening. Her speech, titled “Coming to see you since I was five” was more than just a reflection on her own relationship with our country, it was a call to order. This was a lecture worth […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What do our crime stats mean?
The government has released its latest crime statistics. You can access the full page here. The scary truth is that approximately 2 121 887 serious crimes were committed in the 2009/2010 calendar year. More than 30% of these were contact crimes and more than 25% were property-related crimes. So what does that mean for the ordinary citizen? […]
Posted inLifestyle
Great Sexpectations
Tick tock, tick tock. That sound is the passing of time, and lots of it has passed since the 50s, or at least I had hoped so. The love of my life has been given a job in Johannesburg (a dusty, dirty and angry city) and we currently live in Cape Town (a fresh, clean […]