Petition surpasses one million signatures, urging South Africa to declare GBV a national disaster

A national petition initiated by Women For Change, calling for gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) to be declared a national disaster, has exceeded one million signatures as of Friday.

Campaigners describe this milestone as a pivotal moment in South Africa's response to the ongoing crisis of violence against women.

"We did it, one million signatures. And South Africa turned purple. The people of South Africa, and supporters across the world, have spoken loud and clear," the group said.

Every day in South Africa, at least 15 women are murdered, and 117 women report rape cases to the police, figures that the campaign says reflect a brutal reality.

"At Women For Change, we witness this brutal reality daily - standing with families devastated by femicide and speaking out for sisters who have been brutally abused or raped," the organisation said.

Women For Change says the latest statistics underscore not only scale but urgency: between April 2023 and March 2024, 5,578 women and 1,656 children were killed, with femicide rising by 33.8% compared to the previous year.

They also point out that 42,569 rape cases were reported in that period, while estimating that up to 95% of rape cases go unreported.

"We are deeply disappointed, and frankly insulted, by a response so far removed from the brutal reality that women in South Africa face every single day," said founder Sabrina Walter.

The petition demands that the government immediately declare GBVF a national disaster, triggering full mobilisation of state resources and political will. Its key asks include:

Judicial and legislative reform: stricter bail conditions, harsher sentencing, no parole for femicide and gang-rape perpetrators.

Full funding of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF (NSP-GBVF) and the recently signed National Council on GBVF bill.

Public access to the National Sex Offenders Register.

Comprehensive, mandatory GBV education programmes in schools and workplaces, plus 365-day awareness campaigns.

Social media and online communities have responded: purple profile pictures and widespread hashtags show that the campaign has gripped the nation.

Numerous workplaces, universities and civil-society organisations are preparing for a national shutdown on November 21, when women are being urged to withdraw their paid and unpaid labour in protest, wearing purple in solidarity and to mark the scale of the GBVF crisis.

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