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Society

"She Asked For It" — Rape Culture In Spotlight At Miss Senegal Beauty Contest

A top executive of the Miss Senegal beauty pageant dismissed accusations made by last year's winner that she'd been raped, igniting furious debate across the West African nation about the treatment of women and the retrograde attitudes across society.

Miss Senegal 2020, ​Ndèye Fatima Dion

Miss Senegal 2020 , Ndèye Fatima Dion

Marième Soumaré

DAKAR — As a defense mechanism, Amina Badiane could not have done worse. It was last Thursday, Nov. 18, when the chairwoman of the Miss Senegal organizing committee spoke with Dakarbuzz , a website based in the capital.

The interview was an opportunity to respond to the revelations of Ndèye Fatima Dione, Miss Senegal 2020, who had revealed publicly the violence she'd suffered during her time as the nation's No. 1 beauty queen. Her mother had also revealed that Dione's pregnancy was the consequence of rape, committed during a trip organized by the committee.


"Rape is between two people, isn't it? It's not just about one individual," Badiane told reporters. "If she was raped, she must file a complaint." The contest organizer added that during the pageant's sponsored travels, the conditions of entry into young women's bedrooms are subject to very strict instructions.

An apology for rape culture

"No one is allowed in, not even friends. The girls receive a very strict education," Badiane said. Then after asking confirmation of her words from another Miss Senegal contestant, added in the regional Wolof language, without anyone around her objecting: "Kougnou violer, yaw la nekh" . This translates to "If she was raped, it's because she asked for it." After making the outrageous remark, Badiane chuckled, and added: "After all, she is an adult."

Does the outcry over Badiane's comments reflect a growing awareness of violence against women?

It quickly set social media alight across Senegal, where the hashtags #JusticeforFatima proliferated. A petition from the platform "Ladies Club Senegal," demanded "the immediate withdrawal of the operating license of this committee and its dissolution." Within three days, it had already accumulated more than 50,000 signatures, while calls spread for Badiane's resignation.

By Friday, the company CFAO Motors Senegal announced that it was ending its partnership with the committee and would take its vehicles back. "CFAO Motors Senegal strongly condemns the allegations made by the president of the Miss Senegal committee. Such comments go against our values," the company said in a statement. Since then, several activists have called for the committee's other sponsors to be held accountable, including the Ministries of Culture and Health.

A man walking with an umbrella in Saint Louis, Senegal

Senegalese society tends to find excuses for men and to blame women for the violences they experience.

Imani Bahati/Unsplash

Trivializing violence

While Amina Badiane's comments are particularly appalling, the substance of her remarks is nonetheless shared by large portions of Senegalese society. We are far from the progress that some would like to believe has been made, forgetting how quick Senegalese society is to find excuses for men and to blame women.

"Such comments are made every day in Senegal," said Jerry Azilinon, administrator of the Doyna movement combatting violence against women . The activist says the attitude includes professionals who are supposed to take care of the victims, police forces as well as health services officers. "Most of them are untrained on these issues, tending to put blame on the victim and make ironic comments… which contributes to trivializing the violence and feeding rape culture ."

Does the outcry over Badiane's comments reflect a growing awareness of violence against women? "I don't know if we can talk about improvement, but there has definitely been an increase in awareness over recent years. The debate on rape culture is shifting to the public sphere, " says Azilinon. "If people making such remarks have to deal with consequences, they will think twice before they act." Changing people's mentalities is bound to take much longer.

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Society

Violence Against Women, The Patriarchy And Responsibility Of The Good Men Too

The femicide of Giulia Cecchettin has shaken Italy, and beyond. Argentine journalist Ignacio Pereyra looks at what lies behind femicides and why all men must take more responsibility.

A protester's sign referring to the alleged killer reads: Filippo isn't a monster, he's the healthy son of the patriarchy

Matteo Nardone/Pacific Press via ZUMA Press
Ignacio Pereyra

Updated Dec. 3, 2023 at 10:40 p.m.

-Essay-

ATHENS — Are you going to write about what happened in Italy?, Irene, my partner, asks me. I have no idea what she's talking about. She tells me: a case of femicide has shaken the country and has been causing a stir for two weeks.

As if the fact in itself were not enough, I ask what is different about this murder compared to the other 105 women murdered this year in Italy (or those that happen every day around the world).

For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here .

We are talking about a country where the expression "fai l'uomo" (be a man) abounds, with a society so prone to drama and tragedy and so fond of crime stories as few others, where the expression "crime of passion" is still mistakenly overused.

In this context, the sister of the victim reacted in an unexpected way for a country where femicide is not a crime recognized in the penal code, contrary to what happens, for example, in almost all of Latin America.

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