Peacekeepers? Feminists Reject Nelson Mandela’s Call to End Dehumanization and Demonization

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Contact: Rebecca Hain

Telephone: +1-513-479-3335

Peacekeepers? Feminists Reject Nelson Mandela’s Call to End Dehumanization and Demonization

May 23, 2024 – Former South African president Nelson Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his courageous work to end the decades of racial apartheid in his country. Mandela later warned, “When we dehumanize and demonize our opponents, we abandon the possibility of peacefully resolving our differences.” (1)

Recently UN Women made the claim that “Women all over the world are leading movements for peace” (2). Indeed, UN Women proudly points to the various Security Council resolutions approved over the years that make a similar statement (3).

So what are feminists doing to end the dehumanization and demonization of persons around the world?

Commentator Heather MacDonald recently commented on the anti-Israel attacks on American college campuses, noting that many of the most virulent claims are being voiced by female protesters. “Five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a terrorist state,” the women chant. McDonald explains, “the victim ideology that drives much of academia today…has a female character.” (4)

More widespread is the feminist invective that is directed to men and boys:

Australia: Feminists currently are engaged in an advocacy campaign to stereotype men and boys as abusers, in which the women have been “attempting to outdo each other in their male-loathing” (5). (Ironically, the highest rates of domestic abuse in Australia are seen among adolescent girls, of whom 23% admitted in a recent survey they had ever perpetrated abuse against a family member, compared to only 14% of adolescent boys (6).)

Canada: Author Janice Fiamengo recounts the dehumanizing remark of supervisors at a rape crisis hotline. When a male rape victim called for help, the female director dismissed the man’s plea for help with this cold remark: “Let them help themselves.” (7)

Spain: Recently a group of advocates established the Foundation for the Defense of Mistreated Men. In response, feminist Rosa Peris ridiculed the group, inexplicably referring to the abused men as “delinquents” (8).

Ironically, the most worrisome examples of dehumanization and demonization come from the offices of UN Women itself. It is well known that men are equally likely as women to experience domestic violence (9).

But ignoring the science, UN Women recently issued a stigmatizing tweet that implied only women could be victims of abuse: “We call for stronger protection mechanisms to prevent and eliminate violence, harassment, threats, intimidation and discrimination against women human rights defenders, women’s rights advocates, and activists.” (10)

The above are just a few of many examples. Indeed, the dehumanization and demonization of men appear to represent the common denominator of modern-day feminist activism.

Email: media.team@unwomen.org

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 143 member organizations from 35 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and sex-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

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