#SAYNO to gender-based violence and get involved with Sonke Gender Justice Giving Tuesday Campaign to support 16 Days of Activism.

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** PRESS RELEASE
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** #SAYNO to gender-based violence and get involved with Sonke Gender Justice Giving Tuesday Campaign to support 16 Days of Activism.
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** For Immediate Release
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The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign (16 Days Campaign) is a United Nations campaign which takes place annually from 25 November (International Day of No Violence against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day).

South African Crime Stats for the 1st quarter of 2021/2022 revealed that 10 006 people were raped between April and June 2021. [i] (#_edn1) This is an increase of 4 201 cases, amounting to a 72.4% increase, compared to the previous reporting period. 1 in 3 women in South Africa is a victim of domestic violence. These statistics make it likely that each one of us knows at least one woman that is being abused even if we may not be aware.

Sonke Gender Justice is a South African-based non-profit organisation working throughout Africa. We believe women and men, girls and boys can work together to resist patriarchy, advocate for gender justice, and achieve gender transformation. Sonke is guided by feminist principles and analysis in its quest to end GBV and achieve gender equality.

We believe that unequal power relations between men and women are the root cause of violence against women, girls, and gender non-conforming people. Our work tackles not only the individual behaviour of men – who are the main perpetrators of violence – but also institutional and structural power relations and systems. In line with the 16 Days of Activism, Sonke seeks rapid and sustained change in the harmful cultural norms and patriarchal attitudes that drive gender inequality and human rights violations.

As a non-partisan civil society organisation, Sonke works with community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, UN agencies, media, academic institutions, government, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector, multilateral agencies, international human rights bodies, development partners and intergovernmental agencies to achieve human rights and gender justice. A gender-transformative approach means changing the way in which we conceptualise gender and gender relations forcing us to rethink what it means to be a man or a woman.

Sonke Gender Justice uses a human rights-based approach in the development and achievement of gender equality. True gender equality will be impossible to achieve if we all continue to believe that girls and boys, women and men should behave in certain ways because of their gender and that roles in our society can only be filled by either women or men. Since its inception, Sonke has been committed to building and sustaining grassroots citizen activism and rights literacy to hold Government accountable to its constitutional obligations in advancing gender equality, deepening women’s rights, guaranteeing physical integrity and the right to health, and ensuring all are equal before the law.

Many of those who abuse others, especially within families and relationships, employ secrecy and isolation as a way of controlling the victims of their bullying and abuse. Isolation keeps the suspicions of others at bay, reduces the opportunities for one to seek help and may also increase cases of physical violence where there is less chance of another person noticing bruises or other injuries. One of our main strategies – engaging men and boys as allies for gender equality – is based on the premise that men as perpetrators should hold each other accountable.

Get involved and don’t stay silent, #SAYNO to gender-based violence! The needs and safety of those who are being abused are always paramount! Everyone is someone’s neighbour, and if every neighbour speaks out for the survival of its community, our chances will be greatly improved at limiting the violence, especially to children who are the most vulnerable.

#SAYNO so that every survivor of abuse – and every perpetrator – knows there’s someone right next door that cares and who will never be silenced.

GivingTuesday is a Global Day of Generosity that will take place on 30 November 2021. Sonke Gender Justice is participating in this global campaign and invite YOU to join us for #Giving Tuesday2021. GivingTuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity. Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbour or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we can to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give.

We need you to help us raise R50 000 this #GivingTuesday and #SAYNO to gender based violence.

Share this campaign with your network and make your donation now by clicking here [link removed]

For media queries contact:
Given Sigauqwe, Sonke CSI Manager, 0739882870 or [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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