Boys will be “Boys”

By Niya Bobban

33-year-old Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei had just made her Olympic debut in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics. She was extremely excited to compete in the games, and her teammates played music and had a good time. Most people now believe she felt more at home and even safer inside the Olympic village. 

On September 1st, 2024, a month after the Olympics, Rebecca unfortunately fell victim to gender-based violence.

The athlete’s ex-boyfriend had doused her in petrol and set her on fire during an argument they had, which led to sustaining burns on over 75% of her body. Despite medical efforts, she surrendered to her injuries and drew her last breath on September 5th, 2024.

Violence against women remains one of the least punished crimes in the world, and Rebecca is only one of the almost 100,000 reported femicide cases per year. The term “femicide” describes the most severe form of gender-based violence, and there are various forms of how one murders a woman.

These cases are often rooted in cultural and structural violence, where society perpetuates systemic inequality and normalizes gender-based violence. In various cultures, uncompromising ideas of how a woman should behave lead to controlling or abusive behavior from men, as they believe women challenging these roles deserve violence as a form of punishment.

These actions prompt the idea of “victim-blaming” for women in these scenarios. Men hold women responsible for the violence they undergo and discourage women (as victims) from seeking help. Men use the excuse of women’s behavior, choices, or even choice of clothing as a way to continue female violence. 

“She was asking for it by dressing that way.”

“She should have known better than to get drunk.”

“She must have provoked him.”

"Why didn’t she leave him sooner?"

“Boys will be boys.”

These are simply examples of victim-blaming statements directed at women to justify and excuse men’s abusive behavior. They perpetuate detrimental stereotypes, ignoring the abuser’s actions, making it harder for women to seek help. 

In rare times, when women get the courage to gain justice and file a report informing authorities about the abuse, another problem seems to arise: ineffective and failing social services. Weak institutions contribute immensely to the issue of female violence, as they fail to protect women and provide adequate support for victims.

As stated by the CEDAW Committee, “gender stereotypes, stigma, harmful and patriarchal cultural norms, and gender-based violence adversely impact on the ability of women to gain access to justice on an equal basis with men.” With women already having a difficult time seeking intervention, the flaws in the legal system and public services only discourage women from reporting cases of violence. 

Women are left vulnerable, returning to the abusive situations they desperately try to escape from. This heartbreaking cycle continues as abusive scenarios become more prevalent and normalized in their regions. Women are longing for a way out but only feel trapped by the very systems meant to protect them. 

Gender based violence’s widespread presence desensitizes the reality of women being killed every single day. Society becomes numb to the horrors of femicide, viewing it as just another statistic rather than a loss of life.

This normalization of violence allows the cycle of abuse to continue unchecked, and one can only create change by raising awareness. Rebecca Cheptegei’s tragedy is only a reminder that we must confront the inescapable truths of gender-based violence that too many women face daily.