Two weeks ago, a video clip went viral of a male member of the Lower House of Parliament ‘groping’ a female member of the House.
Since then, we have not heard any apology from the randy Member of Parliament, apart from the female MP spewing vitriol at state television for capturing the ‘intimate’ moment. We also heard calls from equally depraved sections of society calling for the Lesotho Television cameraman to be hauled over the coals for voyeurism.
In this day and era, we all know that what the male MP did is frowned upon as sexual harassment. What makes this episode even more intriguing is that it happens at a time when the whole world is marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.
Gender-based violence has been pervasive across the course of human history. It is only one of many strands in the woven fabric of institutional violence that preserves patriarchal culture, ensuring the continuation of male dominance and ongoing control by men of key institutional resources, all of which contribute to keeping women and girls ‘in their place.
The United Nations defines the phenomenon as ‘violence that is directed at a person on the basis of gender or sex. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threat of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty’.
The fact that the female MP appeared to enjoy being fondled in the honourable House in full view of the cameras, suggests that she too was in on it.
Therefore, we say, instead of condemning the only one party, both legislators should be hauled before the courts of law and arraigned for public indecency. They are setting a bad example. Both are sick. Normal people don’t fondle in public. Yes, she was being fondled, not groped. The two have different connotations. ‘Grope’ borders on the offensive and ‘fondle’ on mutuality.
