A world without 16 Days of Activism
Male allies have played an important role in fighting against sexual and gender based violence. Men must ensure other men understand that they are not entitled to women's bodies.
A couple of weeks ago, during a chat with a friend, I lamented about how 16 days of Activism was almost here again. It’s a time of the year that I am not particularly pleased with. The bane of activism is that gnawing feeling that there isn’t progress being made or that change is far-fetched and quite elusive. Commemorating 16 Days of Activism essentially means the world still needs a reminder that ‘woman’ is human and deserving of complete agency, respect, safety and equality.
16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence was launched in 1991 by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership and feminist activists across the world. Since then, there has been a multitude of themes calling for an end to gender-based violence in all its forms. This year is a continuation of the 2021 End Femicide theme, which calls for the end to the killing of women and girls.
‘Women are most at risk of being killed by their intimate partners in Africa and the Americas’ – UNODC 2019
In this 2019 report, it was stated that a woman is killed every three hours in South Africa. With the onset of Covid19, these figures rose astronomically, not just in South Africa but across the world. The pandemic was a painful reminder that women are not safe, especially in their homes. At different points throughout this year, we have encountered reports of women raped or killed in their homes, while taking a walk, in schools, religious spaces and every other private or public space that you can think of. Women seem to be playing a perpetual game of Russian roulette - will today be my worst nightmare or will it be tomorrow?
As we sadly commemorate 16 Days of Activism at The Continental Approach, we are intentional about emphasising the role of men in putting an end to SGBV, after all, we live in a patriarchal society. Campaigns against SGBV that focus on educating women about their rights and where to find support, once abuse has occurred, are all very important. However, the goal is for women to not need these kinds of support because they are not abused in the first place. One way to guarantee this is for these campaigns to target the perpetrators rather than the victims.
For too long we have placed too much emphasis on what women should do to protect themselves – do not walk at night, do not wear short skirts, make sure you are accompanied when you go out, always carry pepper spray etc. This burden should not be on women. Male allies have played an important role in achieving strides against SGBV, and we encourage them to continue to put in the effort to ensure other men understand that they are not entitled to women's bodies.
For the next 16 days, we will be posting short-form content on TikTok to raise awareness of how you can contribute to the fight against sexual and gender based violence. Follow us on TikTok and share our content with friends and family.
@THECONTINENTALAPPROACH
#EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16daysOfActivism
November 26, 2022
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#EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16daysOfActivism
November 26, 2022
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Innovative ways African women are protecting themselves against SGBV #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16DaysofActivism
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November 26, 2022
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Always ask for consent. #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16DaysofActivism
November 26, 2022
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#16daysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomen
November 26, 2022
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#EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16DaysofActivism
November 26, 2022
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#EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16daysOfActivism
November 26, 2022
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From a list published this year by Business Insider Africa, do you agree? #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16DaysOfActivism
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November 26, 2022
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#EndViolenceAgainstWomen #16DaysOfActivism
November 26, 2022
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#EndviolenceAgainstWomen #16DaysofActivism
November 26, 2022
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Girls just want…to be safe. #16DaysofActivism #EndFemicide
November 6, 2022
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Its Africa Youth Day! Nadia Abdalla talks about her experience running Kenya Ni Mimi, a government programme to empower young people to take up leadership spaces. She gives advice on how to lead as young person. #KenyaNiMimi #Kenya #AfricaYouthDay #Africa
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November 1, 2022
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