Collaboration across all sectors of society is key to uprooting South Africa’s Sexual Gender-Based Violence and Femicide crisis writes Fikile Kuhlase, Head of the Old Mutual Foundation.
South Africa (22 December 2022) – The year-end holidays are a time for each of us to gather with our loved ones and celebrate the blessings from the year that has been, and plan how to make our dreams and wishes a reality in the New Year.
The holidays are also a time to think about those less fortunate than we are, especially those who may have fallen victim to one of the many social ills brought about by inequality, poverty, and South Africa’s culture of often toxic masculinity.
So, as you celebrate the successes that you and your family have enjoyed this year, we encourage you to take a moment to remember the deep scars that many of our fellow Mbokodos and young girls may have suffered in our society’s ongoing battle with Sexual Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (SGBVF). South African women are under constant threat, as illustrated by the National Crime Statistics gathered between July and September this year.
Over just 90 days, more than 13,000 women fell victim to assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, 1,277 women became victims of attempted murder, and 989 women were murdered.
To make matters worse, incidences of SGBVF rose sharply during the pandemic, as many countries enforced lockdowns to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As the pandemic swept through the globe, UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, launched a Shadow Pandemic public awareness campaign, focusing on the global increase in domestic violence amid the COVID-19 health crisis. UN Women noted that “when households are placed under the increased strains that come from security, health, and money worries, and cramped and confined living conditions, levels of domestic violence spike”.
As a major employer and stakeholder in South Africa’s broader economy, Old Mutual, led by the Old Mutual Foundation and its partners, takes part in several initiatives aimed at addressing the country’s SGBVF crisis. Projects are carefully chosen to enable the government, non-government organisations (NGOs), international agencies and the private sector to work together on constructive and workable solutions to the benefit of all stakeholders. A case in point is Old Mutual’s financial support to the national GBVF Response Fund, set up by The Presidency in 2021 to enhance the implementation of a national strategic plan against SGBVF, in addition to the recent support for the second Presidential Summit on GBVF held on 1 and 2 November 2022.
It is important for SGBVF issues to be raised and discussed at all levels of society, but especially among communities that are deeply affected by it. Once again, the collaboration between multiple stakeholders stands out as a key component for success. An excellent example of this community-focused collective approach is a programme run in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, once labelled the country’s ‘rape capital’. The Old Mutual Foundation worked with the Centre for Mental Wellness and Leadership and the Lusikisiki SGBVF Combat Team to contribute to the reduction of the number of rapes and sexual assaults in the area, and the results of this partnership have been pleasing. We acknowledge the Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Ms Nocawe Mafu, who has led these collective efforts.
More recently, the OM Foundation teamed up with the Centre for Mental Wellness and Leadership, the Collen Mashawana Foundation, and other strategic partners to launch the “Collectively Addressing SGBVF Programme” in Thohoyandou, Limpopo – to commemorate 16 Days of Activism, in where official interventions were built around an anti-SGBVF march, a men’s dialogue and the Doctor Khumalo soccer tournament.
Police statistics shared during the second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in November 2022 show that Thohoyandou police station recorded the fifth-highest number of reported GBV cases in the country, making it a site of national importance in efforts to address the crisis.
There is an age-old adage that holds that prevention is better than cure. As such, The Boys Programme, introduced by the Old Mutual Foundation in 2022 is a preventative and trauma-informed approach to build self-esteem and discourage toxic masculinity so that boys and young men do not become the next perpetrators of violence against women and girls. We continue to run successful boys’ camps with the Institute of Afrikology, with the support and presence of Mayor Kaunda of Ethekwini and Sibusiso Vilane, the 1st black African to summit Mount Everest.
The programme is supported by associations and individuals aligned with the creative industry, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, and government. We have used cinema, films and docu-series, collaborating with various partners to raise awareness through the following initiatives:
The film titled #WeDoCare
The movie: ‘What About the Boys?’, which aims to help high school boys across the country break the rigid stereotypes of traditional masculinity that can contribute to SGBVF, The docuseries: “Growing Up Without A Father” as fatherlessness is seen as another contributor to GBVF.
Old Mutual and its partners are also staunch supporters of the 16 Days of Activism against SGBVF campaign, which kicks off on 25 November each year (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and runs until UN Human Rights Day on 10 December.
Old Mutual continues to engage with the government and other stakeholders on a coordinated approach aimed at addressing the root causes and underlying impacts of SGBVF and ultimately (hopefully) eliminating it. Old Mutual does so with the knowledge that real change is driven from the individual level, led by each committed and concerned staff member doing what they can to report incidences of violence against women and children and connect those victims to support networks. This holiday spare a thought for South Africa’s women and girls and do not allow the prevalent culture of silence #NotInMyName.
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