South Africa finally declare gender-based violence a national disaster
- GINA
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Last Friday saw hundreds of women gather in cities across South Africa, wearing black, to protest gender-based violence ahead of the G20 summit at the weekend.
South Africa has seen a 33.8% increase in the number of women killed from gender-based violence since last year. On average, 15 lives are lost every day to femicide- five times the global femicide rate and the highest outside of a war zone.
The NGO Women For Change, one of South Africa’s leading voices in the fight against gender-based-violence and femicide organised a 15-minute lie-down ahead of the G20 summit* at the weekend to give recognition to the 15 lives lost every day to GBV in the country. Protesters included survivors of gender violence, some of whom were sobbing as they lay down. Placards adorned the crowds, reading “Why do you hate us?” and “My body is not your crime scene”. The lie-down was the final stage of a month-long campaign led by Women For Change, demanding the South African government declare gender-based violence a national disaster.
Urging women across the country via social media to “refrain from all paid and unpaid work in workplaces, universities and homes, and to spend no money for the entire day”, the organisation wanted to demonstrate the economic and social impact that the absence of women would have on the country.
Professor and gender violence expert Corné Davis-Buitendag said staging a protest the day before the start of the G20 meeting was relevant given the profound impact gender-based violence has on global development. Indeed, studies consistently reveal the significant economic costs of GBV. In the European Union, for example, the annual cost of gender-based violence is estimated at EUR 366 billion a year, with violence against women making up 79 per cent of this cost, or EUR 289 billion.
Grammy winner Tyla and Captain of the Men’s South African Rugby Team, Siya Kolisi, are amongst the thousands of citizens who have shown support and have since changed their social media profile colour to purple, a colour often associated with women’s rights. Over a million people have signed Women For Change’s petition demanding urgent reform. The petition calls for South Africa's state prosecuting body to reject bail in significant gender-based violence cases, issue life sentences for offenders, and hold law enforcement and justice officials to account for misconduct and negligence in cases.
In response to the campaign, on Friday, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) officially classified GBV and femicide as a national disaster. This classification followed a “thorough reassessment of previous reports and updated submissions from organs of state as well as civil organisations", said Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa. Hlabisa welcomed the decision, saying that it would allow authorities to strengthen existing structures and dedicate resources to tackle GBV.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking at a sideline event for the G20 summit, said, “The women of our country are crying out that they need much more focus on the issue of gender-based violence”.
The categorisation was celebrated by Women For Change, who, in an Instagram post, declared, ‘we won’. They added: ‘This victory belongs to every survivor who spoke up, every mother who mourns, every daughter who refused to give up hope’, but reminded us that action is still needed and that this is just the ‘beginning of the change we hoped for.’
*The G20 is a forum of the largest economies in the world that meets regularly to discuss the most pressing issues facing the global economy.
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