The fight against patriarchy and gender-based violence will be far from over for as long as we keep barking up the wrong tree. In reality men believe they own women. Sometimes they refer to nonexistent cultural or religious practices to justify themselves.

And the government continues to be a spectator in the enforcement of these oppressive practices against women. Ukuthwala, an age-old human trafficking practice, is still practiced in some parts of the country but the perpetrators are not viewed as human traffickers as they insist that it’s an old traditional practice. But it must be outlawed and heavily punishable...