We are excited to announce the release of the 2nd Edition of the Collective Action Magazine! This issue was an official partner of the Presidential Summit on GBVF 2 and therefore so we bring you special coverage of the Summit. We held exciting and insightful conversations with role players in the @EndGBVF Collective and beyond about their thoughts on the Summit and their real-life experiences! What is more exciting is that you will get a glimpse of the Summit in videos embedded in the magazine- just click and play! In this edition: We find out more about the causes of intimate partner violence in rural communities and we are challenged on how as a GBVF sector and society at larger, can create space for male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. We explore tech-based solutions to GBV prevention and look at the courtroom through the child's eyes. GBV activist, Owanto, through her art collection takes us through a healing journey of the wounding caused by genital mutilation. Read more of these stories here: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/739299243/ Email: media@mwi.org.za www.mwi.org.za/media | https://gbvf.org.za/category/press_releases_media/
COLLECTIVE ACTION MAGAZINE Edition 2 | Dec 2022
OWANTO - IN PURSUIT OF WOMANHOOD
COURT THROUGH THE CHILDS EYES
GGGV-reaksie uit die oogpunt van Aleta Miller van UN Women
Umzuzu nomqoqoshe Maite Nkoana- Mashabane
Creating space for male survivors of childhood rape Preventable maternal mortality: Another form of femicide?
Special Edition Special Cover - Presidential Summit on GBVF 2 Key address by President Cyril Ramaphosa
Made possible by
in partnership with
#100GBVPORTRAITS CAMPAIGN
cover explained
The front and back cover pictures are sponsored by the #1000gbvportraits Photographic Campaign. As you flip through the pages you will encounter black and white portraits of women who have survived GBV. We call them Warriors. They are a representation of the many other lives that have suffered under GBV, many of whom we will never know
COLLECTIVE ACTION MAGAZINE
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this Magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect that of Collective Action Magazine and all its Partners
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#GBVWARRIORS THE #1000GBVPORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMPAIGN
The #1000gbvportraits campaign is a black-and-white photographic campaign highlighting the gender-based violence Warriors are facing on a daily basis in South Africa. They chose to call themselves Warriors as a symbol and recognition of all they have overcome; they are no longer victims, but active fighters against the GBVF pandemic. I started this campaign pre-Covid-19 in honour of my late sister who was a victim of GBVF. My desire for understanding and justice drove me down a path that helped me realise that there are many, many more versions of my sister. For those victims who have survived, every day they live with the pain or long-lasting and devastating effects of all they have endured. In just one still captured moment, they could say so much. I loved the portraits and how they made me feel. Although their journey is not yet over, these women are an embodiment of power, strength, and determination I could not fathom. Warriors indeed! The #1000gbvportraits campaign is voluntary, with each warrior telling their own story and journey. I create these portraits because they serve as an inspiration for others to speak, the perpetrator may be faceless and or nameless but the portraits serve as a reminder of their heartless and cowardly acts. Finally and more importantly these portraits are a part of the Warriors’ journeys. The vision of this campaign is ultimately to tell a story with 1000 portraits. Whilst on this journey, we invite many more Warriors to join the campaign. To join this campaign contact ASIC Media: on 021 945 8820 or contact Morné van Oordt: 076 205 6062/ 068 158 9794. morne@asicmedia.co.za or navira@asicmedia.co.za
“Sit with Warriors, the conversation is different”
SPONSORED Morné van Oordt | ASIC Media
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photo by: Thando Gazide- DWYPD
PRESIDENTIAL
2 ed by H.E. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, the purpose of the Summit was to reflect on the work undertaken since the first Presidential Summit on GBVF in November 2018, report on the key successes and challenges, and outline
SUMMIT ON GBVF
The December 2022 edition of this magazine was approved as an official publication of the 2022 Presidential Summit on GBVF 2, which took place on 1 and 2 November 2022, under the theme: “Accountability. Acceleration and Amplification, NOW! Hosted at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg, the Summit convened more than 1500 delegates who are stakeholders within End GBVF Collective and across the GBVF response sector.
clear strategies to overcome them. Throughout the 2-day event many
conversations were held, including breakaway sessions that facilitated feedback from the delegates which highlighted the challenges and successes of the previous four years. The full report containing the resolutions and outcomes of the Summit, will be made available to the public in December 2022.
©2022
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#100GBVPORTRAITS CAMPAIGN SHAEIDA KAMALDIEN
I AM A GBV WARRIOR
Team Leader “I am your mirror reflecting back hope, I know you are strong, you are more than what he told you! You are me - a WARRIOR!”
1000gbvportraits #asicmedia
in this
ISSUE
COLLECTIVE ACTION MAGAZINE
#GBVWarriors: 100gbvportraits 02 This is where the real battle starts: to report or not to 17
REGULARS
09 10 12 73
Editor in Chief Note Editor's Note 100 Day Challenges Trauma-informed pathways to safer schools
Court through the child’s eye 22 The private sector needs to address power imbalances 28
FEATURES
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OWANTO - In pursuit of womanhood How do we create space for male survivors of childhood or rape? Spotlight on DNA for Africa
Alcohol availability is a key driver of GBV 35
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ARTICLES
Preventable maternal mortality
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Intimate partner violence undermines women’s economic power Afritech SOS alter app
When caring costs too much 44
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Intimate partner violence undermines women’s economic power
Kwanele South Africa- bringing justice
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COLLECTIVE ACTION MAGAZINE
Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa 93
Address by H.E Monica Geingos 107
Presidential Summit on GBVF 2 Special Cover of the
GBVF response from the perspective of UN Women Representative Aleta 109
115
Vroue van die Verenigde Nasies: GGGV-reaksie uit die oogpunt van Aleta
A moment with Minister Maile Nkoana- Mashabane – DWYPD 122 Umzuzu nomqoqoshe Maite Nkoana- Mashabane 126
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Summit Resolutions Report
Interview with Elizabeth Dartnall: Sexual Violence Research Initiative 131
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Amplifying the voices of the End GBVF Collective partners Interviews
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A special thank you
Made possible by
A special thank you to the President of South Africa, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, for hosting and spearheading the Presidential Summit on GBVF 2; UN Women for the special funding and enabling this edition; Ford Foundation, the Presidential Summit on GBVF 2 Communication Working Group for choosing this edition as an official publication for the 2022 Presidential Summit on GBVF 2, and End GBVF Collective for this collaborative vision. A special mention to H.E. Monica Geingos, First Lady, the Republic of Namibia, in her capacity as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies, representing the mothers of the continent. Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane from the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities; Aleta Miller, UN Women Multi-Country Representative; and Elizabeth Dartnall from Sexual Violence Research Initiative, thank you for the warm conversations. Much gratitude goes to all organisations and collaborators who have partnered with us to make this edition possible. To all the individuals and organisations that attended the Summit that allowed us to interview them, we say thank you. We appreciate and value all the roleplayers within End GBVF Collective - Implementing the National Strategic Plan on GBVF - working together to eradicate GBVF
In partnership with
Thank you
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Team
E ditor in Chief Tracey-Lee Kotzen Editor Hazel Namponya Creative Director Heidi Schutter
Creative Assistant Kyara Skye Creative Video Editor and Graphics Zachary Kotzen - ZAK Productions Technical Consultant Candice Ludick Translators Nompumelelo Dlamini – isiZulu Ilse De Wit – Afrikaans
Contributors
Alrien van der Walt UN Woman Grant Steward Ingi Deutschlander
Asic Media Cookie Edwards Gil Harper Hazel Friedmann Kim Ballantine Merilyn Mushakwe Prof. Corne Davis Thabo Motshweni
Leonora Tima Martin Pelders Nell-Louise Pollock Terri-Liza Fortein Empire Partner Foundation
Editorial Office Mental Wellness Initiative NPC Address: North Road, Hyde Park, Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa Email: media@mwi.org.za Office No.: +27 (0) 63 912 8735 Website: www.mwi.org.za
Acknowledgments We acknowledge and thank Morné van Oordt from Asic Media for sponsoring the front and back covers, including the ten portraits of GBV Warriors, through their campaign #1000gbvportraits. We also acknowledge and honour the Warriors for being courageous and telling their stories.
@collectiveactionmagazine
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Note from the Editor in Chief ello and welcome to all those engaged
around the world! H
GBVF is not a local issue. It is a national economic crisis costing billions of rands each year, and a health and safety crisis costing hundreds of lives and causing irreparable damage to countless victims each year. Certainly, there are deficiencies in the system but we should not wait for a perfect system to emerge before doing the work of addressing GBVF. Instead, we must strive for improved inter-sectoral, multi-stakeholder approaches to this problem. No organisation, corporation, agency, institution, or individual has the luxury of pretending to be in an unimpacted position. GBVF is eroding the best of what our country offers – women do not have true freedom of movement, many are in economic distress akin to slavery and fear will likely drive tourists away. GBVF is a human rights catastrophe, and it will require the contribution of every able person to curtail it before it becomes irrevocable. Collective Action magazine continues to be intent on serving an enabling role in advancing collaboration across sectors and disseminating information relevant to advancing the GBVF response. This edition of the magazine offers coverage of the Summit with 14 interviews with Summit participants. A new feature of this edition is the inclusion of multimedia links where interviews can be watched and listened to. In addition, we have included 2 articles in indigenous languages. These additions and upgrades seek to fulfil our
with and invested in the gender-based violence response in South Africa and
South Africa, consistently and most terrifyingly, ranks in the top 3 nations for rape, femicide and suicide. We are a nation in deep pain, coping with complex trauma and in the words of President Ramaphosa, “seems to be at war with itself”. However, hope still abounds, and despite setbacks, the current presidential administration has demonstrated commitment to ending GBVF within our lifetime. This past month has marked a historic occasion in that the Presidential Summit on GBVF 2 took place on 1 and 2 November 2022. While some have questioned the necessity of a second Summit, I believe that summits of this nature must continue to be a national priority and should perhaps take place more frequently, to better track successes and hold one another accountable. The summit demonstrated that progress in the GBVF response has indeed been made; three new pieces of legislation will testify to that. However, a vast gap still exists between the ambitions of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF (NSP-GBVF) and the implementation thereof. I am of the view that the NSP on GBVF cannot be successfully implemented when the work is taking place in pockets and silos, with division between government agencies and a fractured civil society sector. Nor can it be effectively upscaled without the full-blown participation of corporate South Africa and funders.
We are a nation in deep pain, coping with complex trauma, and in the words of President Ramaphosa,
“seems to be at war with itself"
promise to be ever more inclusive and accessible to those working in the GBVF response sector and the public at large.
With special appreciation to UN Women who have made this special edition possible
Tracey Kotzen - Editor in Chief
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Editor's Note
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We welcome you back to this, our 2nd Edition of Collective Action Magazine
Interesting articles to stop by
Working on this edition has been exciting for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we were an official partner of the Presidential Summit on GBVF 2 which brought together various stakeholders. End GBVF Collective partners, many of whom have formed strong working bonds whilst working behind the scenes, met physically for the very first time. Whilst some reunited with their collaborative colleagues, others formed new bonds. The summit produced an atmosphere no camera could capture. We are thrilled to announce the improvements made to this digital edition, making this publication unique and more interactive. To make reading easier and more enjoyable, we have included multimedia functionalities that capture stories in both written form, and with clickable audio-visual links all in one place. You can read and watch videos all with a simple “scroll or click”. The mandate of this magazine is to ask the question, “What are we doing to #EndGBVF?” It is from this perspective that we tell the collaborative story. For this edition, we cover the Summit through exclusive interviews and draw from the proceedings, gleaning into lessons learned, and responses from End GBVF Collective partners. Our team had many interesting conversations during the Summit that shed light on the complex tentacles that reach into the GBVF response sector. We spoke with Elizabeth Dartnall from the Sexual Violence Research Initiative, and she explained that violence against women is preventable, but we must first understand the drivers. Eusebius McKaisser, a political analyst, weighed in his view on the unequal power between civil society and the state (watch his video).
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Spread throughout the magazine are portrait stories of survivors of GBV, “Warriors”, through a campaign called #1000gbvportraits.
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Editor's Note In his address, President Cyril Ramaphosa encouraged the inclusion of men into GBVF conversations. He said, “... every part of society, in every workplace, in every school and college and university, in every government department, in every municipality, in every community, we need to be organising men’s dialogues. We need to reach out to boys and young men to develop masculinities that value respect, understanding, and accountability …”
Interesting articles to stop by
There are many forms of violence against women, Owanto, a contemporary artist features art curated by South African curators on Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting (FGM/C) a practice that affects an estimated 200 million girls worldwide to this day. Louise Nell Pollock impresses us with her 'craftivist' skills as she writes an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Martin Pelders, in his article, asks how we create space for male victims of childhood rape and sexual abuse. In embracing diversity, we have included translated articles in Afrikaans, and isiZulu. We conducted 14 interviews with End GBVF Collective partners that shed light on some of the work they are doing and their takes on the Summit. (see video interview section) Finally, I would like to acknowledge the Presidential Summit Planning Committee for their commitment and dedication to bringing the Summit to life, in the spirit of true multi-sectoral collaboration. Our heartfelt gratitude to UN Women not only for making this edition possible but for the role they play in South Africa when it comes to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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Spread throughout the magazine are portrait stories of survivors of GBV, “Warriors”, through a campaign called #1000gbvportraits.
Hazel Namponya Hazel Namponya- Editor
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100-Day Challenges Reflections on the GBVF NSP
100-DAY 100-DAY 100-DAY
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By Alrien van der Walt
South Africa is one of the most unsafe places in the world for womxn, children and LGBTQIA+ individuals to simply exist. Gender- Based Violence & Femicide (GBVF) was officially declared a national crisis in 2019. It is a whole of society problem that requires collective action to solve it. 100-Day Challenges create an enabling environment for frontline workers to overcome the systemic obstacles they face in delivering prevention interventions as well as services to victims and survivors of GBV. A facilitated process leads to intense collaboration, rapid innovation, and disciplined execution. In addition to the tangible impact, the lessons learned and relationships formed pave the way to long- term sustainable solutions. Seven teams across the country participated in GBVF NSP 100-Day Challenges as part of a pilot initiative to discover what is possible when multi-sectoral teams commit to new ways of working together to shift the needle on National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide (NSP GBVF) implementation. Ambassadors from each of the six NSP GBVF “Pillar” working groups of End GBVF Collective worked alongside local teams to improve knowledge of the outcomes of the NSP GBVF and facilitate their implementation at municipal level. 100-day Challenges are uniquely structured and facilitated projects that aim to enable local teams to make progress quickly, on some of the targeted outcomes in the National Strategic Plan on GBVF. The Challenges inspire multi-stakeholder teams to collaborate more intensely, innovate more rapidly, and execute with more discipline. “100-day Challenges are an innovative multi-stakeholder collaboration aimed at expediting progress on target outcomes of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF”
Through the support of Ford Foundation, End GBVF Collective had the opportunity to pilot this way of working. It worked through the intermediation of “100-Day Challenge Ambassadors”, designated by the pillar teams of End GBVF Collective. Ambassadors were trained to create an enabling environment in each district and to support teams and leaders throughout the design and implementation of the 100-Day Challenges. Seven teams were formed in March 2022. Each team committed to an aspirational 100-Day goal related to advancing one or more themes of the NSP on GBVF Pillars in their district. The table below shows the goals and the results achieved, side by side.
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100-day Challenges targets and results per Pillar
48 Install/ repair 48 streetlights in an indirect effort to prevent GBVF incidents in the Phutanang area.
62 62 lights were repaired. Reduction of reported sexual offenses by 45.5%
01
2 Implement evidence-informed programmes in 2 schools and safety audits and actions to reduce GBVF hotspots
2 Seven learners trained in each school of the two schools, and in turn, they trained 2 classes of 30 pupils in the two schools
02
74% 74% of the cases submitted were finalised in 30 days or less (274 out of 372 cases). The team is confident that, with current measures in place, they will be able to sustain and even improve on this performance.
75% Increase the 30-day finalisation turnaround time of sexual offense related cases filed in Bloemfontein courts from 51% to 75%
03a
The number of backlog cases was reduced by 82%.
70% The number of reported cases increased by 37%. Number of rape cases withdrawn was decreased by 70% compared to the 100 days prior. Most of these involved minors, juvenile minors and minor victims
80% Increase the number of reported sexual offense cases in Tzaneen and surrounding rural areas by 80%, instead of mediating through the traditional counsel, which tend to protect perpetrators in the name of protecting the family.
03b
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258% 258% increase, translating to 1074 more victims/survivors accessing psychosocial services each month
300% Increase referral of new GBV cases in Lejweleputswa by 300%, from an average of 416 per month to 1248 in 100- Days
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10 000 Increase engagement on GBVFH at Exxaro, and start a campaign to get 10,000 pledges
1 500 5200 staff members engaged, and 1500 pledges secured
APP Having discovered where the first blockages are, which is basically the first point of entry, the team developed an app for data entry from multiple points. Permission is being sought to test the app with real data.
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100% 100% of cases reported to DSD, via Form 22 or Form 581B are assigned to a social worker.
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In Bloemfontein, for example, the team experienced shifts in processes, relationships, ownership and resource allocation. At the process level, the team looked at the maintenance process with fresh eyes and involved other stakeholders in the process, including other court employees and NGO’s. They started tracking the numbers of cases and were surprised by the number of backlog cases that emerged. Having this visibility on the numbers on a more regular basis helped maintain focus on this issue, and it speeded up the finalisation of cases. The impact achieved through these teams has generated lots of interest in adopting this way of working more broadly. There are similar GBVF-related 100-Day Challenges that have sprung up organically in Limpopo and the Free State. And there is an effort that is being shaped, with the support of the Ford Foundation, to scale this way of working even more broadly in 2023.
Reflec tions
The emerging and growing sense of confidence in what can be achieved when local stakeholders work together, is perhaps just as important as specific and measurable progress. It was remarkable to note what becomes possible when they are provided with the space to collaborate, innovate and execute. This was evident in the commentaries of team members as well as leaders supporting them.
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S cenario 1: The woman who was raped and got harassed by the station commander when she went to report the crime. This same woman became pregnant due to her rape. She last shared with the law officers that the perpetrator is out on bail and is threatening her. By Gil Harper and Cookie Edwards LEGAL AND JUSTICE Scenario 2: The woman who left her relationship the day after he tried to kill
her by forcing pills down her throat. When she went to the police with photographs, they said they could not do much as she didn’t have bruises on her at that time. They could only give her a protection order. The challenge was that when they served her ex with the protection order, her new address had been put on it yet she had explicitly explained that she did not want him to know where she was. She is now living in fear for her life. Scenario 3: The trans woman who was working as a sex worker - forced to because she was struggling to find employment or even a shelter to stay in because of her gender identity. After a brutal rape, she went to the police station only to be told that not only do they not believe that a sex worker can be raped but also how was it biologically possible for a transgender woman to be raped?
Let us consider a few scenarios which are based on the real experiences of women that have experienced GBV and the real battles they face when they take the first step. only 1 in 16 women report cases of domestic violence and this figure is based on the scanty information that service providers have, which can be traced back to actual cases reported. But what of the thousands, possibly millions, of women who do not seek help from service providers or the justice system? Why do they choose not to report their cases? Reporting domestic violence is an ordeal for thousands of women in South Africa . maybe millions, we really do not know. Our statistics do not tell the real story on the ground. It is estimated that
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"to report
or "not to report
This is where the real battle begins
Scenario 4: Four months pregnant, packing and leaving, her boyfriend is enraged and severely beats her. She reports the incident to the police, and they refer her to a hospital where a J88 form (key document recording medical evidence that may be needed to obtain a conviction in an assault case) needed to be completed. Whilst there, she receives a call from a policewoman stating that a case number could not be issued as the systems were offline. Furthermore, they could not just go and arrest the man – instead, they were going to his home to take a statement.
Scenario 5: She gets off the floor and gathers her strength to carry her battered and bruised body onto the bed. This time it was really bad! For many years he had committed countless crime sprees on her body, but tonight’s beating was the worst of them all. As usual, after beating her he would abandon her and run off to his mother’s house. As she lay there in pain, she pondered her next move. Weighing her options, she is unemployed and financially dependent on him – “What will happen to me and the children if he goes to prison?” she thought.
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Scenario 6: To quote a woman who the system has failed: “This is how so many women feel and this is exactly why abuse rarely gets reported because women are made to feel like they're a burden. When is this going to stop? We get abused by someone we love and trust and then when we do build up the courage or get the chance to report it, we get emotionally and mentally abused by the ‘protectors’ of this country. So, who do we trust?” Based on these very few scenarios we have a better understanding of the real- life challenges women have to face when dealing with the acts of GBV. A seamless narrative that constantly comes through many of these stories is how unreliable the justice system is at the moment.
If we are to take a closer look at the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, the strategy makes provision for Rapid Response Teams (RTT) at a regional and local level. These RRTs are to comprise stakeholders from the Department of Justice, South African Police Services (SAPS), and civil society which includes NGOs, service providers, survivor networks, and religious groupings. An excellent initiative as these teams are envisioned to unlock bottlenecks, prevent secondary victimisation, ensure justice and make referrals for counselling.
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"The woman who was raped and got harassed by the station commander when she went to report the crime. This same woman became pregnant due to her rape. She last shared with the law officers that the perpetrator is out on bail and is threatening her."
What this essentially means is that the justice system no longer has to carry the greater part of the burden alone. Rather the RTTs are enablers of an effective ecosystem for victim justice and rehabilitation; not only to expedite and ensure an effective justice system but offer much-needed psychosocial support for the victims as they go through their legal journeys. The RRTs is a system that could really work if more attention is to be given to its development which entails an allocation of funding towards this initiative and also an accountability mechanism built-in for government representatives. The fear is, if we fail to integrate the system, the reality is that we will fail thousands if not millions of women in South Africa for generations to come.
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#100GBVPORTRAITS CAMPAIGN CANDICE FLINT
I AM A GBV WARRIOR 1000gbvportraits #asicmedia
A Warrior “My childhood was taken from me at an early age, it wasn’t by choice, but now that I’m older, I’ve learnt how to take my life back and so can you.”
By Hazel Friedmann
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“My earliest memories were of going to court with my mom – who is a single parent - and I was terrified. I recall a cold, blueish-brown building, being ushered into this bleak waiting room on the first floor with a psychologist who didn ’ t seem to know how to relate to a child and surrounded by all these lawyers telling me I will have to be a witness on the stand.” She adds, “It wasn ’ t a kind, caring space for a child”. COURT FOR KIDS
F
or Indio Friedmann, family was not where the heart lay, but where the hurt was. She still shudders when she recounts her parents’ ugly custody battle.
“It wasn’t just the fear of being taken away from my mom. The worst thing was that I felt it was my fault we were there. There was
so much guilt and shame attached to that place.”
Now a final year Law student at Stellenbosch University, Friedmann has channelled the painful shards of childhood memory into a pioneering creative project: the refurbishment of the children’s waiting room on the first floor of Cape Town’s Wynberg Magistrate’s Court. Its inception was in March this year, but labour began in July and the new room was “birthed” in early September. She calls it her ‘Courts for Kids’ baby and she has received support from court personnel, legal eagles, social workers, and artists alike. It has proven so transformative an environment for traumatised children that there are plans to roll out the project countrywide.
But it is not only the visceral details of the family conflict that have left the residue of trauma; it is in the building where it was finally played out, the Children’s Court of Cape Town’s Wynberg Magistrates’ Court. She was 3- years old at the time. Imagine the confusion and trauma for a child introduced to an unwelcoming environment swarming with adults in ominous- looking black gowns. Imagine being a child bundled into a waiting room, where there were no toys, only hard, unwelcoming benches and the traces of a mural on the peeling, jaundiced wall. That was Friedmann’s daily reality until the court finally ruled in favour of her mother.
Courts for Kids Founder, Indio Friedmann
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There are 737 Children’s Courts in South Africa because every Magistrate’s Court serves as a Children’s Court. Act 38 of the Children’s Act of 2005 states that a Children’s Court is mandated to provide oversight and protection of the rights of the child. The Children’s Court, therefore, plays an essential role in cases involving parental disputes, divorce, abandonment, abuse, and neglect. The magistrate’s ruling is often life-changing, whether placing the child in the custody of one or both parents, the extended family, foster parents, or a child and youth care centre. But while the Children’s Act is unambiguous in the rights it accrues to children, it doesn’t comprehensively address the harrowing experience of a child testifying in court. Nor does it adequately consider the impact of the physical surroundings of the waiting rooms and court corridors that compound the inhospitable environment, Little thought is given to the consequential trauma on the young witnesses whose lives have been wrenched apart through no fault of their own.
“It’s crucial for the child’s voice to be heard,” says Magistrate Bongi Mtwana, who works at the Wynberg Children’s Court. “That’s why this project is so dear to my heart. Children need the brightness and warmth of a room while they await, often painful, decisions affecting their lives. They come here with so much anxiety, and the books, toys, comfortable chairs, and colours calm them down. By the time they come to us, they are in a much better frame of mind, and we are able to do our work with them so much more effectively.” Human Rights crusader Advocate Sabelo Sibanda agrees, “For as long as we view our court system as an adversarial court system, we neglect the real victims of the system, which are children. We need to identify the necessity of the court as an environment that is child-friendly.”
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With funding from Art for Action SA (a creative NGO established during the Covid -19 lockdown), donations by wallpaper artist Robin Sprong, and a creative map by Design Time (a Cape Town-based school of interior design), Friedmann set about transforming the drab surroundings into a children’s wonderland. With a group of 20 dedicated volunteers, she spent months working over weekends, sanding, stripping, priming, and painting - performing an alchemy that has produced an astounding transformation.
During the week, when the waiting room continues to be operational, she has witnessed the children’s delight at the growing cornucopia of colour, books, games, and fluffy toys. While they – like Friedmann as a child - might enter here burdened by family trauma, they now leave this safe, creative, comforting, and fun-filled space, hopefully, on the path to self-restoration, healing, and hope. “For as long as we view our court system as an adversarial court system, we neglect the real victims of the system, which are children...” Advocate Sabelo Sibanda
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Source: Hazel Friedmann
#100GBVPORTRAITS CAMPAIGN
TESSA RAJOO
I AM A GBV WARRIOR 1000gbvportraits #asicmedia
Accountant “I am defined not by my mistakes, scars, tears, smiles or success, but by the strength and character these reveal.”
"Power imbalances are a driver of GBV: How will the private sector be held accountable?" By Corné Davis Associate Professor at University of Johannesburg
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GB
ADDRESSING Adressing GBVF THROUGH GENDER EQUALITY
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GVFB
PRIVATE SECTOR
“Organisational will and a restructuring of the employment relationship with women is not only necessary, but also good for business.”
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Unless progress on gender equality is rapidly accelerated, the global community will not only fail to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 but will also forgo the catalytic effect that gender equality can have for achieving all 17 SDGs. The negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women in the workplace will not be reversed for a very long time, and to truly deliver health, well-being, and dignity for all, gender equality in the workplace must be a core focus for all organisations. Organisational will and a restructuring of the employment relationship with women are not only necessary but also good for business. To drive accountability and influence GBV-related system change and policy-making in the private sector, Shared Value Africa Initiative (SVAI) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) embarked on a research project in collaboration with Mid Sweden University and supported by KPMG South Africa. I welcome the findings and recommendations in the recently released Report titled "The Costly Impact of GBV" . It highlights the need for the private sector to address the reality of GBV as it formulates company policy and structures of governance. This means implementing top-of-mind GBV-related education and awareness programmes, adopting behavioral change, and providing ongoing feedback on progress through annual integrated and environmental, social, and governance impacts (ESG) reporting. While great strides have been made in recent years, the South African private sector has not yet fully embraced the role it needs to play in the achievement of gender equality. It still takes longer for women to get promoted, women remain under-represented at all levels and continue to earn less than their male counterparts. They also struggle with a lack of support from their male colleagues, and a toxic patriarchal culture and are often subject to discriminatory norms and exclusionary policies that make climbing the corporate ladder even more challenging.
Gender inequality has also been widely recognised as a key driver of gender- based violence. It is increasingly a term that connects all acts of violence rooted in some form of “patriarchal ideology” and can thus be committed against both women and men, by women and men, with the purpose of maintaining social power. It can take many forms, impacting on a physical, sexual, psychological, and economic level, and can include bullying, mobbing, verbal abuse, and harassment from work colleagues, supervisors, or managers. Additional examples include sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances; threats and acts of sexual abuse and violence, including “coercive” or transactional sex, rape, and sexual assault and abuse and harassment around pregnancy. Additional violations include psychological abuse and intimidation; abusive working conditions such as poor health and safety; inadequate or inappropriate sanitary facilities and rules about their use; involuntary excessively long working hours and unpredictable or late demands to work overtime. GBV is a systemic social issue that is deeply entrenched in our institutions, our cultures, and our traditions with a tragic effect on all, regardless of age, race, gender, or sexual preference. Yet, the perception that GBV is a social issue only, is no longer acceptable or true as GBV has an enormous business and economic impact. Corporate South Africa, in particular, has a vested interest because this plight not only presents workplace challenges such as reduced productivity and absenteeism but also impacts the communities the companies operate in.
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PRIVATE SECTOR They also struggle with a lack of support from their male colleagues, and a toxic patriarchal culture Dec 2022 | Collective Action Magazine
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Patriarchal ideology
These changes need to demonstrate equality in every aspect of life at ...work
PRIVATE SECTOR
“GBV in the workplace shows up as, sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances; threats and acts of sexual abuse and violence, including “coercive” or transactional sex, rape, and sexual assault; abuse and harassment around pregnancy; psychological abuse and intimidation; abusive working conditions such as poor health and safety… ”
It is, therefore, crucial that companies better understand the range of circumstances in which GBV can occur in the workplace and the ways in which company operations can reduce GBV-related risks. In as much as Government needs to set an enabling environment to drive gender equality through appropriate policy frameworks, legislation, and an efficient justice system, the private sector is a powerful partner in advancing gender equality at work due to its distinctive position as a catalyst and role model for change.
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Dec 2022 | Collective Action Magazine
A 2014 report released by professional services firm KPMG, titled Too Costly to Ignore – The Economic Impact of Gender- Based Violence in South Africa, estimated that the economic impact of gender-based violence, for the
PTY to acknowledge and respond to the persistent power imbalances that still plague the private sector. It will be a first step in living up to the values of equity and inclusion — not just on paper, but in practice. Change is long overdue. I would like to urge South African companies to explore the deep learning and unlearning needed There is immense power in working together. We have the knowledge and the resources to succeed. We need to build on the progress we have made thus far, and relentlessly mobilise our commitments into tangible action. These changes need to demonstrate equality in every aspect of life at work, with companies using every available platform to advocate for meaningful change. This includes everything from its training and remuneration policies, sourcing principles, and supply chains to messaging and tone in employee communication, and ensuring that business practices such as marketing, communications, sales, and other units do not contribute to gender stereotyping that may influence societal values, norms, and attitudes that condone violence against women. Progressive executives know that gender equality is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing. But progress is slow, and the need for multisectoral collaboration has always been clear, as suggested in many global and locally released reports.
period 2012 to 2013, was between R28.4 billion and R42.4 billion, representing between 0.9% and 1.3% of annual gross domestic product (GDP). PRIVATE SECTOR 34
Dec 2022 | Collective Action Magazine
"We can’t continue to deny the role alcohol plays in GBV.”
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Alcohol availability is a key driver of GBV By Terri-Liza Fortein Alcohol availability is a key driver of GBV and Government must address harmful drinking in South Africa if we are to see a decrease in incidents of GBV that plague our communities on a daily basis. ALCOHOL
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The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA) and The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) with the support of the Ford Foundation, in 2021, published an evidence-based review on alcohol availability and the associated effect it has on GBV. The study titled Alcohol availability and Gender-Based Violence in Southern Africa: An evidence review reported on four southern African countries; South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The review investigates the extent to which the availability of alcohol influences increased rates of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) which is considered the most prevalent form of GBV. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), alcohol is recognised as a driving force for violence, including GBV globally. Half of the world’s 2.3 billion drinkers consume alcohol in a harmful way. This includes consuming five drinks or anything above 60g of alcohol over the past month, on a single occasion.
Alcohol abuse and GBV are co-occurring public-health threats to sub-Saharan Africa. Alcohol-related harm manifests itself in men being three times more likely to commit intimate partner violence and increases women’s risk of experiencing gender-based violence by six times when alcohol is heavily consumed. Alcohol consumption prevalence is at under 30% across all four countries, however, heavy episodic drinking staggered between 51% and 60% among those who drink. The prevalence of GBV ranged between 26% and 67% across the 4 countries. Prominent outcomes of the report describe how the significant availability of alcohol impacts consumption and increases the incidence of gender-based alcohol-related harm. Primary factors relating to access such as Alcohol Outlet Density (AOD), which is the number of liquor establishments per square kilometre, as well as Outlet Trading Times (OTT) are direct contributors to increased levels of consumption and violence. These elements should be extensively considered when awarding and renewing liquor licenses.
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While the Senior Programme Manager at the Soul City Institute, Nelisiwe Hlope, issued a call to action, she said it was critical for police, parents, and communities at large to get involved in making communities alcohol-safe. “[informal] Outlets will sell alcohol to children as young as 5 years old as they are not regulated and laws are not enforced. We need greater involvement from parents and police,” Hlope said. "An evidence review on South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe shows how the availability of alcohol influences increased rates of IPV. The review shows that: Alcohol- related harm manifests itself in men being 3 times more likely to commit intimate partner violence and increases women’s risk of experiencing GBV by 6 times when alcohol is heavily consumed." Bongiwe Ndondo, the board Chairperson of SAAPA SA, said it was very important to discuss alcohol regulation and how it affects our public health scenarios and policies. “We need to look at these structural drivers of GBV. We need to put the evidence into action and ask what kind of behaviour we want to encourage in our communities to address GBV?”
Despite evidence of legislation to protect against GBV and regulate the alcohol industry, implementation of these policies is low. The findings of the review intensifies the need for greater implementation of laws and policies as well as further research to assess the effectiveness of structural interventions in the global South. Recommended solutions to solve the problem include increasing public investment in funding research on alcohol availability and GBV in the global south, sensitising communities to alcohol-related intimate partner violence and increasing rigour when conducting research on alcohol and the link to violence. Leane Ramsoomar-Hariparsaad from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) said,” We must sensitise communities to the association between alcohol and GBV. We can’t continue to deny the role alcohol plays in GBV.” “We need to act urgently to address these two public health challenges by developing structural interventions, effecting policy and systemic change in tandem with a suite of other interventions that have been shown to address harmful alcohol use”, Ramsoomar-Hariparsaad added.
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“Government and officials need to show the political will to address the structural drivers of GBV. The disproportionately high numbers of alcohol outlets and trading hours outside the 'national norms and standards' recommendations of 2016 are central to alcohol availability in communities, making it easy to access and abuse alcohol. Government urgently needs to engage in a process to harmonise legislation at a local, provincial, and national level and ensure that all communities enjoy the same rights to safety,” said Aadielah Maker Diedericks who co-authored the report and is the Regional Coordinator for the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance.
Maker added that the lack of implementation of legislation and regulation keeps GBV prevalence high. South Africa currently has the most progressive laws around gender equality, and laws related to GBV and IPV specifically. It also aligns with global policy and regulation on alcohol use. Yet, South Africa continues to record heavy alcohol consumption and high rates of GBV. saapa.africa/download/saapa-alcohol-availability-and-gbv- evidence-review/? wpdmdl=34062&refresh=61adedf8cddf21638788600 saapa.africa/download/alcohol-availability-a-structural- driver-of-gender-based-violence-summary/? wpdmdl=34064&refresh=61adee8f267121638788751
INIT MAT
“We need to act urgently to address these two public health challenges by developing structural interventions, effecting policy and systemic
change in tandem with a suite of other interventions that have been shown to address harmful alcohol use”, Ramsoomar-Hariparsaad.
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Preventable Maternal Mortality another form of femicide?
By Dr Jessica Rucell, Expert Advisor, Gender Justice, Center for Applied Legal Studies
The focus on the vulnerability of pregnant women and persons, to gender based violence and femicide (GBVF), especially violence caused by the state due to lack of access to quality healthcare, including non-abusive services was an omission in the 2018 Summit. This omission was carried through into the Summit
The assault and neglect of women during pregnancy and childbirth can result in preventable maternal death, neonatal disability and newborn death. femicide? declaration, and the National Strategic Plan on GBVF that was launched in 2020. A focus on pregnant women and persons, is essential because GBV and sexual reproductive health (SRH) are intricately related. Girls and women can, and do become pregnant as a result of rape. Girls and women need access to safe termination of pregnancy services, prophylaxis such as the morning after pill, and PreP. Pregnant women and persons are physically and psychologically assaulted when seeking maternity care services.
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In recent years it has become clear that the State is perpetrating violence against pregnant women through health services. This particular form of GBV includes assault during childbirth, unconsented to, and forced medical procedures for example, sterilisation and hysterectomy when women seek health care during pregnancy. This form of GBV results in the constraint of individuals capability to have children safely and with dignity. The assault and neglect of women during pregnancy and childbirth can result in preventable maternal death, neonatal disability and newborn death. The United Nations calls this preventable maternal mortality GBV, perhaps we can also call it femicide. To begin to integrate and align sexual and reproductive health into the response to GBVF and into the 6 Pillars focus areas of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF (NSP GBVF), the following key approaches will take the abuse faced by pregnant persons more seriously.
?another form of femicide
maternal “The assault and neglect of women during pregnancy and childbirth can result in preventable maternal death, neonatal disability and newborn death. The United Nations calls this preventable maternal mortality GBV, perhaps we can also call it femicide.” obstetric violence Dec 2022 | Collective Action Magazine
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accou tability
"The Minister of Health should be included in the GBVF Council and Inter- Ministerial Committee overseeing the NSP GBVF with the following accountabilities and deliverables"
PILLAR 1- ACCOUNTABILITY, COORDINATION AND LEADERSHIP
Establish human rights- based accountability mechanisms to ensure redress for victims of obstetric violence, including financial compensation, acknowledgement of wrongdoing, formal apology, and guarantees of non- repetition. Ensure professional accountability and sanctions by professional associations in cases of obstetric violence
Accountability Mechanisms
and access to justice in cases of human rights violations.
PILLAR 2 -PREVENTION AND RESTORATION OF SOCIAL FABRIC
PILLAR 4 -RESPONSE, CARE, SUPPORT AND HEALING
Avoid the criminalization of home birth and independent practice
"forced sterilisation should be entitled to remedial medical processes and counseling should be provided"
PILLAR 3 -PROTECTION, SAFETY AND JUSTICE Strengthen and train judges; Health Complaint, Compliment and Suggestion Committees (CCSC) and the public about human rights in the context of childbirth to ensure the effective use of remedies. Guarantee women’s right to a birth companion of her choice in law and in practice; Allow home birth, and independent midwives practice.
Survivors of obstetric violence, including forced sterilisation should be entitled to remedial medical processes, and counselling at the cost of the State with a consideration that institutions who caused harm cannot provide these remedies.
PILLAR 5 -ECONOMIC POWER
ALL WOMEN WHO WERE FORCED Or coercively sterilized should be able to seek recourse against the state and that a special mechanism needs to be set up to deal with and address women’s cases beyond those before court.
Legislate a minimum maternity and parental leave time in public and private sector Develop and institute maternity support grant
e
PILLAR 6 - RESEARCH AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
AMEND THE STERILISATION ACT
So that practice, and processes are put in place to ensure that forced/coerced sterilisation of women living with HIV/AIDS is unequivocally prohibited and regulations on forced and coerced sterilisation are done with oversight, reporting, monitoring in a manner that protects rights of women targeted by such practice.
Collect and publish data on the percentage of cesarean sections, vaginal births and episiotomies and on other treatments related to childbirth, obstetric care and reproductive health services on a yearly basis.
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