South Africa lays down to end GBV

IN AN impressive display of solidarity and urgency ahead of the G20 Summit, thousands gathered across South Africa to draw attention to the pressing issue of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in honour of those who lost their lives as a result.

- KAREN SINGH

Yesterday at noon, participants dressed in black lay down in silence for 15 minutes.

The action formed part of a nationwide campaign led by Women for Change (WFC), whose petition to declare GBVF a national disaster has attracted more than 1.1 million signatures globally. The organisation highlighted South Africa's alarming statistics, including 5 578 women murdered in the past year, a 33% increase.

WFC urged South Africans, particularly women and individuals from the LGBTQI+ community, to withhold all spending and refrain from both paid and unpaid work. This was intended to highlight the significant social and economic consequences resulting from their absence.