South African women’s rights organizations are organizing nationwide protests to demand that gender-based violence (GBV) be classified as a national disaster. This initiative, which gained momentum through social media, is set to culminate in a “shutdown” event on Friday, prior to the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.
In an environment where GBV is prevalent, participants, including celebrities and citizens, have changed their social media profiles to purple, a color associated with GBV awareness. Reports indicate that South Africa has some of the highest rates of GBV globally, with murder rates of women being five times greater than the world average, as stated by UN Women. South African crime statistics reveal that between January and March of the current year, 137 women were murdered and over 1,000 were raped.
On the day of the protests, individuals are encouraged to withdraw from their daily routines, including work and school, and to observe a moment of silence by lying down for 15 minutes at noon local time. Protests are planned in major cities such as Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, with support from allies in Eswatini, Kenya, and Namibia.
The protests, led by the organization Women for Change, also include an online petition signed by over a million people urging the government for stronger measures against GBV. However, the National Disaster Management Centre has declined to classify GBV as a national disaster, citing legal grounds. President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned in a recent G20 Social Summit that South Africa had already declared GBV and femicide a national crisis in 2019, but activists express concerns about the effectiveness of implemented measures.
Many women have reported feeling compelled to take self-defense into their own hands. Some have formed groups to learn about firearm ownership for self-defense, citing personal experiences of violence. Despite training, group leaders emphasize that the aim is not use firearms but to empower women and foster a culture of resistance against GBV.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn979g302l9o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss