Red Card Campaign Progress Report

On 9 June 2010, just days before the launch of the World Cup, Sonke officially launched the Red Card Campaign against Child Sexual Exploitation. The campaign was activated in a number of sites across Johannesburg and the Western Cape, with additional activities taking place in Port Elizabeth. In essence, the campaign seeks to reduce children, and especially girl’s, vulnerability to sexual exploitation in South Africa and elsewhere in Southern Africa. The initiative also seeks to increase awareness regarding sexual exploitation generally and increase the ability and willingness of people to intervene to prevent and/or report it.

In preparation for the campaign activation day, Sonke conducted training in both sites with selected volunteers from different communities. The training focused on forms of sexual exploitation, particularly involving children, and on how to use the Red Card as a tool to stop it. Participants learnt about “red card fouls”, such as having sex with someone under age or buying stuff to get sex from a young person, and were equipped with red cards to use when the encounter any of these situations.

Selected partner organisations were also been engaged, sensitised and trained on the Red Card methodology and assisted in the role out of the campaign.

This progress report describes in detail the progress to date and the activities that have been implemented by Sonke and the partners during the period from May to July 2010. The report consists of four sections:

• A brief description of the project goals and objectives
• A narrative chronicling the achievements and activities implemented during this period
• The challenges faced and lessons learnt
• The conclusion and recommendations