Sonke Gender Justice calls on the South African government to unequivocally stand with the people of Palestine and halt all diplomatic ties with Israel
The world is once again witnessing another cycle of violence and destruction of Palestine and its people at the hands of the racist Israeli state and for this reason, Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) is calling on the South African government to unequivocally stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and halt all diplomatic ties […]
The Politics of Care session 4: When Men Receive Care
This session concludes the Politics of Care series. Each session examines men’s engagement in different phases of a feminist ethic of care. This session will focus on men receiving care. We will share findings from related research and discuss the political positioning of responses to men’s vulnerabilities. Details Time: 3:00pm to 4:30pm Central Africa Time. […]
LHR and Sonke Gender Justice to Challenge Failure to Re-Open Cape Town Refugee Reception Office
On 12 May 2021, the Western Cape High Court will hear the matter of Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town (“Scalabrini”) v Department of Home Affairs (“DHA”) with regard to the DHA’s consistent failure to comply with court orders to reopen the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office (“CTRRO”). Scalabrini seeks to compel the re-opening of the […]
MenCare Advocacy, Media and Campaigning Webinar
Hello! Sonke Gender Justice and Rutgers invite you to a MenCare Advocacy, Media and Campaigning Webinar: With 3 practical cases and a toolkit on how to do it. Date: Thursday, 11 March 2021 Time: 3pm to 4:30pm CAT The webinar is part of the ongoing MenEngage Ubuntu Symposium and will be moderated by Mphokuhle Mabhena–Lunga. Panellists will include […]
Politics of Care Session 3 at the Ubuntu Symposium
The Politics of Care seminar series continues on Thursday 25 February as part of the MenEngage Global Ubuntu Symposium (register here). The seminar series unpacks four phases of an ethic of care, and specifically how men can contribute to the cultivation of a feminist ethic of care. The first session addressed men ‘caring about’ and how men’s ignorance of […]
Men’s involvement & tough action by African leaders needed to stop FGM
Saturday marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) under the theme “No Time for Global Inaction, Unite, Fund, and Act to End Female Genital Mutilation”. FGM is a procedure that partially or totally removes a female’s external genitalia for non-medical reasons, causing irreparable and irreversible harm, as well as life-long […]
Sonke applauds President Joe Biden’s decision to repeal the Global Gag Rule
Sonke Gender Justice welcomes reports stating that the President of the United States, Joe Biden has repealed the “Global Gag Rule” (GGR), officially known as the Mexico City Policy. The Global Gag Rule, reintroduced by Donald Trump in 2017 prohibited U.S. global health assistance from being provided to foreign non-governmental organizations that perform abortion in […]
Sonke Gender Justice mourns the loss of Minister in the Presidency, Mr Jackson Mthembu
Today Sonke Gender Justice pays its respects to a dedicated leader, Minister Jackson Mthembu. Sonke Gender Justice and the sector at large is profoundly saddened by the news of the passing on of a dedicated ally to gender transformation from Covid-19-related complications at 62. Born in Ackerville, Witbank, on June 5, 1958 Minister Mthembu will […]
Sonke Gender Justice calls for accountability of parents in the case of Nthatisi Bembe
Last week, disturbing media reports surfaced about the tragic death of Nthatisi Bembe (12), allegedly at the hands of her parents. This tragic incident is another sad reminder of the precarious position that children find themselves in. This gruesome incident demonstrates the well-known fact that incidents of physical punishment often lead to either severe harm […]
Symposium adresses gender inequalities in Madagascar
Today, more than ever, gender-based violence is at the heart of many debates around the world. Pro-feminist actions have woken up and are now affirming their commitment to the struggle for gender equality. With this in mind, MenEngage Madagascar held its first Symposium on December 04, 2020 at Panorama Andrainarivo, Antananarivo. The Symposium highlighted the […]
Sign the petition: Namibia to recommit to Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) to tackle SGBV
We are appalled and alarmed to hear that Namibia intends to not renew its signature to the East and Southern Africa Ministerial Commitment on Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE), which would reverse previous successes made in preventing Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SBGV) and would have devastating effects for a whole generation of young Namibians. Most […]
Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Namibia
MenEngage Namibia, as a national network of organisations working with men and boys to end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) – which is part of the global MenEngage Network – is expressing its support and solidarity with recent protests against SGBV in Namibia. We are very concerned about the rising number of SGBV cases, affecting […]
MenEngage Liberia hold symposium to involve men and boys in the elimination of sexual based violence
MenEngage Liberia has concluded a youth symposium aimed at galvanizing the participation of men and boys in the elimination of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Liberia and the role of Liberian youth in the maintenance of peace during the Midterm Senatorial Elections. The day-long youth symposium held in Kakata, Margibi County on Wednesdayunder the […]
Dialogues with men & boys to end SGBV in Liberia
On September 23, 2020, MenEngage Liberia began conducting dialogues with men and boys as part of efforts to understand their perspectives on gender and masculinity, to clarify negative perceptions among them and to rally their involvement and support towards minimising – and ultimately – ending sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), especially rape, in Liberia. The […]
Sonke welcomes the ANC’s decision to suspend former MEC and current ANC Provincial Executive Committee member accused of raping his daughters
On Monday, September 28, 2020 disturbing reports surfaced regarding minors who were raped, allegedly by their own father who currently serves as ANC Mpumalanga PEC member. The accused appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 28, 2020 and the matter was postponed to 1 October for a formal bail application. Sonke notes with […]
KEMEA welcomes advisory by Kenya Chief Justice to dissolve Parliament over non-implementation of two-thirds gender rule
Kenya MenEngage Alliance (KEMEA) supports the Chief Justice of Kenya, David Kenayi Maraga, in his advisory to the country’s president Uhuru Kenyatta, to dissolve Parliament for failure to implement the two-thirds gender rule principle which is enshrined in the Constitution. Article 27(8) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides that the State takes steps to […]
Sonke welcomes the judgment by the Grahamstown High court that has granted Yolanda Dyantyi leave to appeal in her case against Rhodes University.
Ms Dyantyi was expelled from university for life by Rhodes University for her role in a protest against gender-based violence and rape on campus. Her transcripts were marked ‘’Unsatisfactory Conduct: Student found guilty of assault, kidnapping, insubordination and defamation’’. Ms Dyantyi was in her final year and would have been the first person in her […]
Liberia: Advocacy group condemns rise in rape, calls for concerted effort in combating it
A pro-male advocacy group, MenEngage Liberia has strongly condemned the increasing wave of sexual violence, especially rape perpetrated against women and children in Liberia. The group, through a statement issued at its office Paynesville recently said, the unprecedented rise in the number of rape cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic is deeply troubling and called for […]
MenEngage Liberia condemns all forms of sexual abuse
In the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, Liberia is witnessing another scourge – increased gender-based violence, particularly rape-related cases. The current wave of cases involving rape is, indeed, worrying as the country is grappling to ensure that all of its citizens – men, women and children – are safe from Covid-19. According to a FrontPage […]
Call for action: SADC leaders and South African government to condemn human rights abuses in Zimbabwe
The SADC community and civil society has with dismay and concern observed obscene police and military brutality and impunity meted against citizens, activists and journalists in Zimbabwe in the last weeks. The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA), Sonke Gender Justice, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) and SECTION 27, joins other civil […]
To be taken into account – youth need to consider themselves as true potential game changers
It’s International Youth Day on the 12th of August. Madagascar-based NGO Youth First, a member of MenEngage Africa Youth, reflects on the state of youth in 2020 as the world observes this annual commemoration in the two questions we posed below. QUESTION: The theme for this year’s International Youth Day is “Youth Engagement for Global […]
International Youth Day 2020
“Youth Engagement for Global Action” Background The International Youth Day (IYD), celebrated on 12th August each year, was established by the United Nations in 2000 as a means of raising awareness of issues affecting young people around the world. Each year the Secretary-General of the United Nations decides upon a theme for the Day on […]
Sonke condemns in the strongest possible terms the threats made by African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament (MP), Boy Mamabolo against a Sunday World journalist
Last week, African Nation Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament (MP), Boy Mamabolo threatened to shoot Sunday World reporter, Ngwako Malatji after the journalist investigated an incident involving the MP. Sonke is disgusted by the threats made Mr. Mamabolo and the precedence they set. Especially with the recent crime statistics indicating that there was an increase […]
MenEngage Togo and partners engage with government on GBV
On July 14, MenEngage Togo hosted a workshop on the “National Validation of the Qualitative Study on Masculinity, Femininity and Gender Relations in Togo”, in the capital, Lomé. The study examined concepts of masculinity and femininity, how the definitions of these concepts are linked to gender-based violence (GBV) and how they affect gender equity and […]
