Survivors’ film calls on world leaders to act against child sexual abuse ahead of G20
As South Africa prepares to host the G20 Summit this month, survivors of childhood sexual violence are demanding that world leaders take action. Their message comes through My Justice, My Voice, a new short film launched this October by the Brave Movement and partners, which amplifies survivor voices and highlights the urgent need to end sexual violence against children.
Co-produced with survivors, the film follows three women — Sheila, Jacque, and her daughter Thabile — as they share their stories of abuse, survival and resilience. It also explores the intergenerational impact of sexual violence and the lifelong effects of trauma, including for children conceived through rape, as Thabile was.
The women are using their stories to demand global action. At the Cape Town premiere in October, Sheila explained that while she did not receive justice through the courts, participating in the film represents a reclamation of power. “My power was taken from me through multiple assaults, beginning when I was just seven years old,” she said. “This film gives me a voice again.”
Thabile, who did see her perpetrator convicted, spoke about the fear that lingers even when justice is served: “In my case, the perpetrator got bail, and I don’t know how he found my house, but he was there, looking for me. I had to run inside and call the cops. When you give them bail, you give them power to instil fear.”
She says survivors of sexual violence must be protected. “If we care about ending violence, then we must care equally about what happens after the violence,” she said.
During her keynote address at the launch, Deputy Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities in the National Executive, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, highlighted the cost of inaction.
“We’ve calculated the lifelong cost of not doing this work and, in economic terms, it comes to the equivalent of 8.1% of our GDP — approximately US$33 billion,” she said. “For every R100 our country produces, R8 is drained away through the consequences of neglecting health, education and the safety of our youth.”
This underscores what experts have long argued — that violence against children is not only a moral crisis, but an economic one.
Emily Laurie is the Senior Director for Global Campaigns at the Brave Movement. She expanded on this point, noting that the G20 — an economic forum of the world’s largest economies — has a direct role to play.
“There is a substantive cost to individuals, but also to countries and to the global economy,” Laurie said. “We’ve found that US$7 trillion could be saved if violence against children ended — the equivalent of the economy of the world’s third-richest nation. Ending violence is both the smart and the right thing to do.”
For Rays of Hope, which has been working in Alexandra, Johannesburg, since 1991, the collaboration provided an opportunity to reflect on its own data. “We found that seven out of ten of our participants are vulnerable to child sexual abuse because of the environments they live in,” said Charmaine Seloma, Stakeholder Relations Manager at the organisation.
She added that while reports and statistics are necessary, they can never replace the power of lived experience: “Having survivors tell their stories strengthens our case as community-based organisations. A report doesn’t have a face, but a survivor does. Seeing the impact on someone’s life, on families and communities — that’s how you measure real change.”
The film’s production was spearheaded by On Our Radar, an award-winning storytelling agency comprising journalists, filmmakers and community practitioners. Using a trauma-informed, participatory process, survivors co-wrote scripts, shaped the narratives and reviewed edits to ensure their voices guided the story.
Through this process, My Justice, My Voice highlights three urgent areas for government intervention: adopting trauma-informed policies, funding survivor-centred services and prioritising the prevention of sexual violence — both online and offline.
South Africa, which will host the G20 Summit in November, has some of the world’s highest rates of child sexual abuse. Advocates hope the film’s message will push leaders to commit to stronger protections and funding mechanisms to end violence against children.
The film ends with a powerful appeal from Sheila: “To our world leaders, we need you to join hands across countries and fight this scourge of sexual violence, especially against children. They are our future”. For more information about the campaign and to watch the film, visit www.bravement.org.