During his inauguration speech as SA’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela urged all of us to act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. This was expressed in his eloquent and moving words: “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another”.
Today, as we reflect on this powerful sentiment and the legacy of the father of our nation, it is important to realise that the struggle to end gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) is far from won and the damage being done to society, economies and communities is getting more severe by the day. GBVF is unravelling the hopes and dreams we had as a nation when Nelson Mandela first walked free and set us on a path to freedom.
We need to invoke the same brave spirit of overcoming oppression today to ensure we can leave behind a society we can be proud of, and in which our children can be free, happy and not scared. This society should live up to the vision and expectations Nelson Mandela had for our beautiful land 28 years ago.
This calls to mind a famous quote of Nelson Mandela after his release from prison: “Since my release, I have become more convinced than ever that the real makers of history are the ordinary men and women of our country; their participation in every decision about the future is the only guarantee of true democracy and freedom.”
In this vein, one of the most important decisions all of us must make today is to end GBVF in our lifetimes. It will not be solved without sustained and deliberate effort from all sectors of society. This is a fight that needs all of us to come together as one, just as Mandela said.
With the National Strategic Plan on GBVF of 2020 as our guiding light, the GBVF Response Fund was set up as an independent, private sector-led entity aimed at galvanising a broader societal response to make a high impact on ending the scourge of GBVF as soon as humanly possible. We hit the ground running and are on track to help drive a much-needed co-ordinated response to this national pandemic. In just a year and a half, since establishment, we are now one of the key role-players in driving the multi-sectoral response needed to make a real difference, as it includes powerful and actionable government, civil society and private sector commitments. In our first grant funding phase, we have managed to support 110 high-impact community-based and four intermediary organisations in the fight against GBVF.
The different kinds of programmes and initiatives implemented by the approved grant partners will positively impact women, children, the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as other vulnerable groups.
The reason for adopting a multi-sectoral approach, and working closely with sponsors, government and civil society is to bring about meaningful, sustainable and broad-based change. I am very glad to report that this strategic approach to taking the fight of the survivors to a new level is working, but the road ahead to put an end to the ravages of GBVF is a long one.
We need all of South Africa’s people to have a greater awareness of the extent of the problem and help, as this cannot be done in isolation. Changing behaviours, long-held beliefs and stereotypes requires ongoing work on the ground, in the right areas, by those with skills to bring about true, lasting change.
This is not just a SA problem either. The United Nations has called violence against women a “shadow pandemic”. It says one in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence mostly by an intimate partner. Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, and before the pandemic 243 million women and girls, aged 15-49 experienced sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner in the past year. Since the pandemic, violence against women, especially domestic violence, intensified.
We all need to do more – and together we can do more. The time to end GBVF, in all corners of the country, is now. So, let’s come together as one to meet these expectations of Nelson Mandela and let freedom and human rights reign in a manner that would make him proud.
About the GBVF Response Fund:
The Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Response Fund was launched by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, in February 2021, to tackle the scourge of GBVF in South Africa. The Fund is a private sector-led initiative aimed at supporting the implementation of the new National Strategic Plan on GBVF, by raising financial and non-financial resources, and allocating them to high-impact organisations working to tackle the prevention of GBVF and ensure support and access to justice for victims. In addition, the Fund pursues impactful public-private partnerships to address GBVF.
