Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian

16 Days Of Activism

latest news & developments
Creatives: Roanna Williams and Fran Luckin aim to prove that commercial success and social responsibility reinforce each other.
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Holding the mirror up: How advertising can challenge, not just sell

Moving beyond traditional campaigns, Williams and Luckin champion “story-doing,” creating work that interrupts culture, sparks dialogue, and drives meaningful societal change

  • Riley Hlatshwayo
6 min read
During the global 16 days of activism campaign against violence against women and children, South African shelters for such victims fear a lack of funding could lead to many of them returning to their abusers or living on the streets.
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Women’s shelters face closure over government funding shortage

Shelters also worry about a repeat of the Life Esidemeni tragedy if the government does not provide adequate funding to fill the skills gap of workers

  • Umamah Bakharia
6 min read
The lived reality for women in South Africa is they get turned away at our police stations. They are told that domestic violence is a family matter. They are sent from one office to another. If they do actually get someone willing to open their case, the case files disappear into delay
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

GBV a ‘painful indictment on SA society’

According to the police, 53 900 South Africans have reported being victims of a sexual offences in 2022 and 2023 This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers.…

  • Umamah Bakharia
1 min read
Arné Rust, Carling Black Label Brand Director.
NOEXCUSE 2023 CAMPAIGN

Carling Black Label takes a bold stand with #NoExcuse 2023 campaign

The central theme of the campaign is the staggering statistic that every 63 seconds a woman in South Africa becomes a victim of abuse

  • Carling Black Label
5 min read
POWA protest demonstration against abuse. Photo: Oupa Nkosi/ M&G
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

The danger of abuser confessions

Done badly, abuser’s confessions can trigger a lot of pain for anyone who has lived through gender-based violence.

  • Zukiswa Wanner
5 min read
Graphic: John McCann
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

​16 Days will be followed by positive action

The prevention of gender-based violence must become the starting point and not an afterthought.

  • Colleen Lowe Morna
7 min read
Loving: Nola Darling paints in her brownstone studio. Photos: David Lee/Netflix
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM
Video

#16DaysOfActivism: 5 ways Parliament screwed up debate on women and children’s rights

The annual campaign to combat gender-based violence begins on November 25.

  • Raeesa Pather
4 min read
The department of basic education will, from this month until next year, embark on roadshows as part of an awareness campaign to address violence and bullying in schools.
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Bullying is not a rite of passage

Bullying in the 21st century is more of a problem than ever – destroying lives and creating killers.

  • Lucia Makamure
4 min read
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

A new kind of fatherhood can prevent violence

Gender-based abuse costs South Africa up to R40bn a year, but can be tackled at its root by dads taking an active role in caring for their children.

  • Wessel Van
  • Den Berg
6 min read
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Cut the rhetoric and act against gender-based violence

How do governments in Southern Africa plan to stop violence against women without realistic targets, effective indicators and commitment?

  • Staff Reporter
5 min read
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Say what? Presidency celebrates 16 years of ‘raising gender-based violence’

Is government committed to fighting for or against women? A mistake in a press release for 16 days of activism is revealing, writes Verashni Pillay.

  • Verashni Pillay
4 min read
When courts dismiss violence on the basis of occupation, the message is clear: sex workers’ lives matter less.
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Letters to the editor: December 6 2013

Readers slam assaults on sex workers and accuse the Mail & Guardian of putting public protector Thuli Madonsela in danger.

  • Letters
6 min read
Officials say 31 people have died in protest-related violence so far, while Human Rights Watch says at least 51 have been killed including medics and children. (Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters)
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Gender violence knows no divide, says Zuma

President Jacob Zuma has marked the launch of 16 days of no violence against women and children, saying the crimes have no place in society.

  • Sapa
3 min read
The former president has called for the movement of people and goods between South Africa and African states to be easier
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Motlanthe urges men to not just talk against violence

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has urged men not turn a blind eye to violence against women and children.

  • Sapa
2 min read
A file photograph of Sonke Gender Justice network activists. The majority of women in SA are not benefitting from gains made in terms of gender equality
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Mngxitama: Time to rethink the root causes of violence

The 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence campaign has become an empty ritual the nation performs to feel good about itself.

  • Comment Author
3 min read