LIFE SHOULDN’T JUST GO ON AFTER 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GBV

Article written by: Francesca Pedrosa (RISE Legal Volunteer) & Naomi Braak (RISE Legal Volunteer)

Gender-based violence is a worldwide problem that individuals face every day. It is a crisis that is facing our men, women, and children around the world, and unfortunately, in South Africa, it is particularly prevalent. We have higher GBV statistics than the majority of the world’s countries.

ACTIVITY FOR 16 DAYS

In 1991, the first 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (GBV) were launched. Today, 16 days of activism, is one of the world’s most wellknown and longest-running movements to challenge and raise awareness about the violence faced by women and girls in our society. The Centre for Women’s Global Leadership initiated the campaign, which starts on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 and ends on Human Rights Day on December 10, as part of their bigger aim, which was to establish that violence against women amounts to a violation of human rights. But despite 30 years of activism, GBV is still rife and widespread, with up to 50% of women and girls in South Africa having experienced violence and abuse in their lifetime.

A YEAR OF ACTION

For 16 days of the year, activists lobby and campaign, while for 349 days of the year, GBV awareness is mostly pushed aside until such time as a horrific incident occurs that makes us look at it again.

GBV happens every day. A child is kidnapped, raped, and mutilated and left under a bush. A woman is raped and murdered by her partner in front of her daughter. A young student is gang raped, stabbed, and murdered by dropping a rock on her head. We read about it in the news, it shocks us to the core, and then we move on with our lives.

In the first quarter of 2021, 558 women were murdered, which is nothing compared to the 855 women murdered in the first quarter of 2022. Worse still, are the numbers of our children being murdered: 116 in 2021 and 243 in 2022. When we put it in figures like this, our hearts ache for the disaster and scourge that is facing our country. We are a country at war with our own women and children.

However, our natural instinct is to turn away from all the hurt, pain, and suffering that we see in the news because, honestly, how could we live knowing what is happening?

BUT, by the time we hear about it in the news, the child has been raped, and the perpetrator has a knife against his victim’s neck, and it’s too late.

We as a society cannot just raise awareness for such a problem over a period of 16 days; we need to battle this scourge every day and make an impact where we can. Organizations such as RISE Against Domestic Violence continue throughout the year to raise awareness, not only during the 16 days of activism or when a horrific incident occurs that makes our society look twice.

We need to actively stand up against violence every day. We need to speak out about the wrongs being committed not only to our women and children but to our men as well.

ACTIVE INITIATIVES

The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has allocated R65 million to implement the Gauteng Strategic Plan aimed at combating violence against women and children. The GPG has opened more than 60 safe sites, called “green doors,” which offer victims services such as trauma counselling, debriefing, and an entry point into the criminal justice system.

We hope to see these services and safe sites spread to other parts of the country as well. Many South African organisations and civil societies, most of which are non-profit and reliant on public funding and volunteer workers, work around the clock through the year to fight the scourge of GBV.

BREAK THE SILENCE

By speaking out about abuse, people become empowered. It helps by giving them the strength, courage, and power to speak out and to make a change in their situation. When people find out they are not alone and that they have support, whether through family, friends, organizations, or governmental institutions or campaigns, it makes the fight against GBV that little bit easier.

Help is always available, but people need to be aware that the help is there all the time and not just over a period of 16 days, when stories, articles, and campaigns are released with a vengeance. We need to continue to have vengeance against GBV 365 days of the year; otherwise, the battle will be lost.

If you are experiencing violence or abuse, or if you know of someone who is, do not hesitate to contact the South African Police Service or an organisation such as Rise Against Domestic Violence, who will be able to provide you with necessary assistance and support.