16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence

16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence is an annual international campaign that runs from 25 November, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, until 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day.

The movement was started by activists at the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. It is used as a rallying call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. This is especially relevant in the South African context, where gender-based violence is an epidemic all on its own – one that is growing alarmingly each year. Sadly, in almost half the incidents of this kind of violence in our country, the perpetrator is not a stranger to the victim.

• One woman is murdered every three hours in South Africa.
• The SAPS statistics reported 42 289 rape cases for 2019/2020 and 7 749 sexual assault cases for the same period.
• Often, rape goes unreported. There is no way to measure just how many incidents we are unaware of.
• Of reported rape cases, only about 14% lead to a trial, and only half of these trials lead to convictions.
• In 2019/2020, there was an average increase of 146 sexual offences per day when compared to the previous twelve months.

We all need to speak up. We all need to accept accountability. Not a single one of us is exempt from calling out abuse when we see it.

The global theme for this year’s campaign is, “Orange the world: End violence against women now!” We encourage you to wear orange to show your solidarity.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

The information in this communication is for information purposes and is not intended to be detailed advice described in the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. The fund, administrator and trustees cannot be held liable for damage or loss suffered as a result of any action that you take based on the contents of this communication.