a day ago
Women for Change gets seat at National Dialogue
Women for Change has been invited to join other stakeholders at the National Dialogue.
In April, the NPO handed more than 150 000 signatures to government calling for GBV to be declared a national crisis.
Founder Sabrina Walter expressed concern about large sums being spent on the dialogue while GBV survivors remained unsupported.
Women For Change (WFC), an organisation that advocates against gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa, has been officially invited to participate in the National Dialogue.
The dialogue will take place in Pretoria from 15 to 17 August, as confirmed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
It is designed to be a safe space where South Africans can have honest conversations about the country's biggest problems and collectively develop solutions.
The agenda will include economic challenges, governance and accountability, corruption, and various societal issues, including GBV.
In a statement, WFC founder and executive director Sabrina Walter said they would walk in the National Dialogue with more than their organisation's name – 'We carry the names of thousands of women and children who never made it home.'
Our presence in this room matters not because we want to be seen, but because we are here to unbury the truth.
Sabrina Walter
In April, the nonprofit organisation handed more than 150 000 signatures from activists and supporters to the Office of the Presidency.
WFC took to the Union Buildings in Pretoria bearing a symbolic coffin as part of its Unbury The Casket campaign.
The casket was adorned with 5 578 purple beads representing women who had lost their lives to intimate partner violence.
It was shared with various affected departments, including that of women, youth and persons with disabilities and shared with the department of cooperative governance.
This was the culmination of a movement dating back to 2016, calling for GBV to be declared a national crisis.
'While we are honoured to be in the room where decisions are being made, we cannot ignore the harsh and heartbreaking reality that brought us here,' Walter said.
South Africa remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or child.
Sabrina Walter
She added: 'We are deeply concerned about the large sums of money being spent on yet another high-level event while frontline organisations like ours remain underfunded, survivors are left unsupported, and justice is still a privilege too many never receive. Despite this, we are going because the voices of the women and children we represent cannot be excluded from the table.'
Walter said the NPO would continue speaking boldly, truthfully, and unapologetically about the brutality against women until authorities started treating GBV and femicide as the national crisis they are.
At the dialogue, WFC would not only listen but would also challenge the status quo, she said.
