SOMALI WOMEN’S MIGRATION INTO SOUTH AFRICA 4.1 Introduction
4.4 Gendered complexities during the migration process
The route to South Africa exposes women to gender based violence by the people who proffer them services in the areas of border checks, accommodation and transportation in exchange for sexual favours. These women succumb to the sexual overtures in pursuit of greener pastures and for fear of losing crucial services required for their survival in order to reach their destination. In this case, Somali women stand at the intersection of oppressing forces based on their gender (as women), nationality (foreigners), religion (Islam) and race (hair texture and skin tone). On the other hand, although migrants moving towards South Africa consider themselves as migrants sharing the common focus of getting into South Africa, for green pastures, they are aware of dissimilarities with such Cushitic communities from East Africa. The Somalis (especially females) will not open up easily to the other migrants on transit, because of their cultural and religious differences as well as a fear of the fellow foreigner who does not belong to their community.
113
Within the transnational space, the Somali women encounter social and economic challenges along social locations, like gender, religion, education, nationality and cultural identities that complicate their journey from the country of origin to their recipient country. During migration, whereby the Somali female migrants find themselves travelling with other female and male migrants from other nationalities, they are affected differently when compared to female migrants from other countries.
According to Lininger (2008), female foreigners dressing in Islamic attire, like the Hijab are more likely to be spotted as non-citizens and increase their vulnerability to verbal/physical sexual abuse during migration, a phenomenon that is common among the Somali women within the transnational space. Although other Muslims within South Africa also dress in the Hijab, Somalis Hijab can be easily singled out due to its conspicuous variations like the colorful Jilbab13 and Garbasaar14. Sarah said:
During the migration process, we are sexually harassed. When they see somebody with Hijab they say you have duvet, how are you wearing with this heat. Why you don’t throw it away, you are young you are beautiful? Why don’t you wear the trouser? They say why are you nigger? Are you having a cramp? You are coming with something that we don’t know.
Through the feminist intersectionality theory, one is able to argue that Somali women suffer several jeopardies that are not only gender based but racially and religious based, all impacting the same women at the same time. South Africa is a predominantly Christian nation with minority Muslims; who are perceived to be Indians and therefore, Somali women's Islamic dressing as black people with soft hair categorizes them as “outsiders” not only in the host country but in Africa. Using the
13 Jilbab is Muslim female costume that covers the whole woman’s body as opposed to Hijab that covers the upper part of the body.
14 Gabasaar is a Shawl worn by married Somali women. The wear is fashioned in different colours.
114
intersectionality framework it’s clear that the kind of stereotypes and abuse that Somali women face within the transnational space is different from that of their male counterparts who are Muslims. Also, under intersectionality, it’s clear that other women who are still Muslims yet with a different skin tone such as Indians, are perceived differently and in higher regard. The Somali women’s skin tone coupled with the Muslim identity and their language depicts some “foreignness” even among fellow foreign African nationals. This was expressed by Ali who said:
You know some tell us that we are from Pakistan because they have no experience of other Africans that have some different physical features? You know the Somalian the way they look like exactly like African people. You know the Ethiopian and Somalian hair does not look exactly as African hair which is strong and blacker than ours.
Assuming as Africans is because of our structure and our hair.
Somalians we are a bit different from them.
The Somali women commence their journey to South Africa wounded, raped, and traumatized by political and economically related problems that they experienced while in Kenya and Somalia. Most of those women do not want to share those experiences because of their emotive nature and the stigma associated with sexual violence. During the interviews it emerged that, while leaving Somali and Kenya, a good number of women separated from their spouses or lost them into the wars, which posed a challenge to travelling alone as women, as well as sustaining their families within the transnational space. This occurrence impacts the whole family during the journey to South Africa in terms of their adaptability. In Mayfair, Amina, a single woman who lost her husband in the war said:
When our men are killed, it pains us so much, we get stressed. Our children are impacted a lot because they don’t have the source of
115
livelihood or no father figure. We don’t want to remember what happened because it troubles us so much.
Due to lack of proper documentation while traversing several countries borders (i.e.
Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique) towards South Africa, female Somalis remain vulnerable to police (who arrest them) and the local civilians.The vulnerability is high because they are considered as illegal at border checkpoints albeit their identity as refugees seeking suitable space to reconstruct their lives. The complexities facing Somali women do not impact on them the same, but rather variously along social factors that either enhance or impede their resilience. Those that come from a higher social status would adapt better than those from a low status because they have resources to facilitate the journey of migration. Also, Somali women who find social networks of members from their clan, acquaintances and relatives along their journey often get support on the way to South Africa, thus boosting their fortitude within the transnational expedition. Fatima from Somalia said:
When I was travelling to South Africa, I passed through Kenya, where my relatives accommodated me for few days before I embarked on my journey to the coast where I would exit the country.
My relatives in Kenya supported me with some little funds. I am grateful for that!