Media release

28 July 2021

South African women deserve 365 days of activism beyond August, says anti-GBV NGO

- You strike a woman; you don't strike a rock-

 Cape Town, 02 August 2021 — In South Africa, a woman dies every eight hours because of intimate partner abuse* while the latest SAPS quarterly crime statistics show that assault survivors opened 50 124 cases with the police. Based on these numbers, women suffering under this pandemic of violence deserve year-round activism in response to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), not just in August.

This is according to Advocate Tarisai Mchuchu-MacMillan, Executive Director at MOSAIC Training, Service & Healing Centre, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to fighting GBV. "The statistics sadly show that you strike a woman; you don't strike a rock. So if we intend to change this terrifying lived reality for women, we need all of society to act every day against GBVF and our governments to ensure that policies and laws are effectively implemented to prevent and respond to GBVF."

MOSAIC says while it recognises the historically vital role of the women who marched in 1956, the plight of today's women shouldn't only be nationally amplified during Women's month. "All of us in society should be consistently chipping away at the systemic barriers facing women. Our attention and efforts on these issues can't be short-term," says Mchuchu-Macmillan.

365 activism and advocacy efforts can include

• Engaging men and boys through gender transformative and sensitisation education. MOSAIC engages men and boys through workshops focused on unpacking harmful gender norms and stereotypes that drive and sustain high levels of gender inequality and GBV. "Our programme creates a platform where men and boys learn, unlearn and relearn how to be positive human beings who co-exist with others in a non-violent way," says Mchuchu-MacMillan. "We encourage corporates also to hold gender transformative and sensitisation workshops in their spaces because it is not just unemployed men who use violence," she says.
• Collaborative law & policy reforms: Making strides against domestic violence and GBVF will require an alignment between civil society activism and lobbying along with political will and leadership. This is the kind of collaboration recently demonstrated in the amendment process of the Domestic Violence Act in which MOSAIC contributed. As a result of the changes to be made to the Act, women will be better served and protected by the strengthened protection order system.
• Volunteer, donate and fund pro-women causes and For example, brands that run promotions aligning themselves with this month or women's causes can put some proceeds into women's charities and services.
• Actively hire and meaningfully invest in women to address the economic inequalities they still face. "From years of working with women, we know that most of our clients remain in abusive relationships because they are financially dependent on their partner. The ability to earn an income independently can be very empowering for a woman," says Mchuchu-MacMillan. Companies should also implement equitable work policies such as flexible working and pro-women training and mentoring programmes.

MOSAIC says the collective rage at gender injustice and GBVF can be used all year productively to make a difference. "We shouldn't be taking the foot off the pedal on certain months if we're going to eradicate this scourge," says Mchuchu-MacMillan.

ENDS

* Global Study on Homicide, UNODC, 2018 Report

About MOSAIC

MOSAIC is a community-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to prevent and reduce abuse and domestic violence. This is achieved by providing holistic, integrated services when incidents      occur, and supporting clients through the process of healing and rebuilding their lives after a traumatic event.

MOSAIC creates an enabling environment through our holistic and integrated five-pillar service model

• Access to justice – psychosocial and legal support provided by court support workers, and psychosocial support from MOSAIC's Sexual Violence Counsellors at Thuthuzela Care Centres
• Support and Healing – Counselling Services, Support Groups and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights;
• Engaging Men and Boys- Training and Workshops, Support Groups and Counselling for Men
• Empower- Education and Skills Training, Rights Training, Youth GBV Life Skills and Community Dialogues
• Advocacy and Policy- Advancing rights of women and girls by providing evidence from our services to change the system.

The organisation was established in 1993 in response to high levels of violence against women in South Africa, particularly in the form of domestic violence, and in recognition of the silence that many women suffer in unnecessarily, due to either a lack of knowledge of their rights, a lack of confidence to access justice for themselves, or both. MOSAIC's registered head office is in Cape Town, South Africa.

For further information about MOSAIC, please visit www.mosaic.org.za