Streets in Table View were packed with placards and hundreds of residents during a peaceful picket to mark the start of the 16 Days of Activism of No Violence against Women and Children campaign on Monday 25 November.
The campaign kicked off with some action as the community came out in numbers with placards and hooting cars, all in the hope of raising awareness for no violence against women and children.
The march in the Table View precinct started from the police station all the way to Church on the Rise in Blouberg Rise.
The campaign takes place annually from 25 November (International Day of No Violence against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day).
At the march Ward 107 councillor Jonathan Mills said the march was against the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa. “We want to encourage communities to use their voices to speak out against violence and abuse, and to speak for the voiceless,” he said. “It gives more power to vulnerable individuals to seek help.”
At the gathering at Church on the Rise Table View police spokesperson Capt Adriana Chandler encouraged everyone to speak up and break the silence.
Stats
The statistics on GBV in South Africa are alarming. The country has one of the highest femicide rates in the world, with a woman murdered every three hours.
According to the police 1 006 women were murdered between April 2022 and March 2023.
There were also 52 971 reported sexual offences during the same period, 42 016 of these cases being rapes, an average of 115 rapes per day.
The statistics are staggering: nearly one in three women and girls worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetime.
For at least 51 100 women in 2023, this violence escalated to femicide (homicide targeted at women) with more than half committed by intimate partners or family members.
The United Nations pointed out recently that women are not safe outside their homes either.
“The agency championing women’s empowerment, UN Women, points out that femicides are the ultimate evidence that the systems and structures meant to protect women and girls are failing,” a statement reads.
“Public figures, including politicians, human rights defenders and journalists, are often targeted by violence both online and offline, with some leading to fatal outcomes and intentional killings. One alarming aspect of this issue is the prevalence of violence in conflict zones. In 2023 the United Nations reported a staggering 50% increase in gender-based violence from the previous year,” reads a statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has recently underscored the importance of addressing the persistent issue of GBV and femicide that plagues the nation.
He emphasised the need for men to play an active role in ending violence against women. “It is the responsibility of every man in this country to ensure that women and children feel safe, respected and valued.”
Making a difference
- Listen to and believe survivors.
- When a woman shares her story of violence she takes the first step to breaking the cycle of abuse.
- Teach the next generation and learn from them.
- The examples we set for the younger generation shape the way they think about gender, respect and human rights.
- Encourage a culture of acceptance.
- Talk about consent, bodily autonomy and accountability to boys and girls, and also listen to what they have to say about their experience of the world.
- Start a conversation.
- Speak out. Show your solidarity with survivors, and where you stand in the fight for women’s rights.
- Hold one another accountable
- You are not alone. Violence can take many forms, including sexual harassment in the workplace and in public spaces.
