Launch of the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign

The Premier of Limpopo Province, South Africa, Chupu Stanley Mathabatha is set to launch a virtual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign tomorrow.

The 16 Days of Activism is an annual initiative that runs from the 25th of November to the 10th of December. The campaign is an effort by the government to rid the society of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.  The question however is, is it effective? Are the numbers going down? Is there something else that is not being done that should be done?

The International Men’s Day is an annual event that comes and goes every year without a single event. Every year it comes and goes, no speeches from the government, churches, nothing… Why is gender equality only mentioned when it involves women being ‘suppressed’? As much as there in an International Women’s Day and a National Women’s Day, let us also have the same for men and let us see more programs being done to commemorate the men’s days just as much as we commemorate the women’s days.

What is it that drives men to be physically and emotionally abusive? That is the root of all evil that needs to be dealt with.

This year’s theme is, “Women’s Economic Justice for a Non-Violent and Non-Sexist South Africa”.

The President of SA, H.E Cyril Ramaphosa proclaimed Gender-Based Violence as the second pandemic after Covid-19 during one of his national addresses.

The President also pronounced a national mourning period, with the national flag flying at half-mast throughout the country from 6 am to 6 pm from Wednesday 25 November to Sunday 29 November 2020. During this period, all South Africans are humbly requested to wear a black armband or other signs of mourning to signify our respect for those who have departed.

Details of the virtual launch are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Time: 14h00
Platforms: Facebook live (Office of the Premier; Limpopo Provincial Government); Zoom