De Lille slammed for comment on violence against women

GOOD party leader and public works and infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille has been slammed for being ‘out of touch’ after saying women allow bad things to happen to them.

De Lille, who was speaking at the Women’s Day launch of her party’s anti-Gender Based Violence (GBV) campaign, said she believes most of the bad things that happen to women occur because they allow them to happen.

She said women need to start speaking up more against issues such as GBV.

‘Women, let me tell you one message today [Tuesday] I live by every day. I believe all the bad things that happen to us is because we allow it to happen. But from today, we are saying to you, don’t shut up.’

De Lille’s statement drew mixed reactions, with some saying women do not ask for bad things to happen to them. Others called her comments insensitive, and said they should have been worded differently.

Social media comments to eNCA included:

‘This is precisely the sort of rhetoric that makes all abused women feel responsible for what is done to them. UNACCEPTABLE that female politicians are not targeting men to speak out against GBV?!?! WHY SHOULD WOMEN?! Is what is done to women not enough ?!?!’

‘De Lille is out of touch! How is rape because woman allow it?’

‘We allow ourselves to be raped by armed men overpowering us? For f..k’s sake!! How do you suggest we avoid allowing rape. Shoot to kill? Oh wait, we are more likely to end up in jail for murder than the men trying to rape us.

‘Auntie de Lille, I respect you but with this comment you are pushing the nation to show you a middle finger.’ 

Despite the backlash, De Lille stuck to her comments, saying ‘only you’ can stop GBV.

[Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/governmentza/47972102832/in/photostream/]