Abstract
The incidence rate of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is another pandemic that South Africa is faced with. Hence, there is a need to point out and address the main drivers of GBV in the country. Most cultural practices in Africa, which create favourable conditions for GBV to flourish, are rooted in a patriarchal foundation that favours men and places women in a subservient position. Among such cultural customs is the practice of Ukuthwala commonly referred to as forced child marriages. Through Ukuthwala, young girls are taken out of school to become brides to older men. The practice often happens because of intense cultural or religious beliefs, gender inequality; poverty and economic hardships of the young girls’ families. In many instances, the young girls are never given an opportunity to consent to these marriages because in some African cultures, a female being must never speak; raise her concerns or give her own opinion. Drawing from the arguments of African Feminisms theory, this research study employs a qualitative methodology to explore the Ukuthwala lived-experiences of women from Mmapeng village in the Eastern Cape Province. The study centralises the voices of these women by providing them with an opportunity to share their experiences and the meanings they attach to the custom of Ukuthwala...
M.A. (Sociology)