Landmark moment for child rights in South Africa
Joint press release by respondents and amici curiae in the case of Freedom of Religion South Africa v Minister of Justice & Constitutional Development & others [Children’s Institute (UCT); Quaker Peace Centre; Sonke Gender Justice; Centre for Child Law; The Parent Centre; Global Initiative to End All Forms of Corporal Punishment of Children; Dullah Omar […]
Recurring attacks of non-nationals of African descent in South Africa must be dealt with urgently!
It is of major concern that South Africa continues to be the site of persecution of fellow Africans from other parts of the continent. Cross-border long distance truck drivers transporting goods to, and through, South Africa have been under attack from locals in recent weeks. The economic capital, Johannesburg, came to a stand-still when businesses […]
Sonke Gender Justice and Lawyers for Human Rights victorious in litigation seeking to improve the independence of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services
Today, on 5 September 2019, the Western Cape High Court handed down judgment in Sonke Gender Justice / President RSA and others. Judge Boqwana declared unconstitutional the provisions in the Correctional Services Act (111 of 1998) which require that the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) is i) dependent on the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) […]
Sonke Gender Justice is calling on the South African government to implement a fully-funded national strategic plan to combat gender-based violence
Sonke Gender Justice is calling on the South African government to urgently implement a fully funded multi-sectoral National Strategic Plan to combat gender-based violence (GBV). South Africa’s femicide rates are disturbingly high. According to The World Health Organisation (WHO), 12.1 in every 100 000 women are victims of femicide in South Africa each year – […]
Eastern Cape water crisis needs urgent government response
Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) is deeply concerned by the ongoing water crisis in the Eastern Cape, which directly affects communities which Sonke works with in the Amathole District Municipality. This crisis infringes the fundamental rights of these community members, including the right of access to sufficient water; the right to clean and decent sanitation; the […]
World leaders must act now to protect girls’ childhoods says Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP Nigeria)
Society for the Improvement of Rural People today publicly called on the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR and the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Pauline Tallen, to reinforce their commitment to end child marriage in Nigeria; at an event held in […]
Sonke and SAfm co-host dialogue focusing on the role of local government in preventing and addressing GBV
On Thursday, 22nd August 2019, Sonke Gender Justice, in partnership with SAfm, co-hosted a live Outside Broadcast Dialogue focusing on “The Role of Local Government in Preventing and Addressing Gender-Based Violence,” as part of activities to mark Women’s Month. The dialogue was held against the background that local government is the level of government that […]
Cat-calling: a not so subtle symbol of rape culture
This article was written for the Daily Maverick By Sandisiwe Shoba In South Africa, walking down the street is a nightmare for most women. Whether it’s cat-calling, lewd comments or any other form of street harassment, gender-based violence rears its ugly head in seemingly subtle ways, with dire consequences. “It ranges from someone walking through […]
Sonke and SAfm host dialogue on “The Role of Local Government in Preventing and Addressing Gender-Based Violence”
Ending gender-based violence in our homes, communities, churches, schools, on our streets and in our villages and cities needs all levels of government working together. As the level of government closest to the community, local government is well-placed to promote gender equality and to lead a comprehensive approach to preventing violence against women. It has […]
Sonke launches @catcalls campaign against GBV
In collaboration with an international social media advocacy campaign, Sonke Gender Justice has launched a one-month-long initiative during Women’s Month documenting the lived experiences of womxn, girls and members of the LGBTQI+ community in South Africa. The concept was inspired by the Instagram initiative @catcallsofnyc created by Sophie Sandberg which has garnered a following of […]
Sonke calls for action against Basic Education Spokesperson for irresponsible tweets sexualising women’s bodies as part of a campaign to promote reading
Sonke Gender Justice is concerned that civil servant, Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson for the national Department of Basic Education (DBE), sees it fit to take to twitter and use images of semi-naked women, posing as if they were reading – with captions such as reading is “therapeutic”, “relaxes the mind, body and soul” and “feels good” […]
Kwakha Indvodza calls out Swazi MP for saying pregnant teenagers should be arrested
On Friday, the 9th of August 2019, an article with the headline “Arrest pregnant under-age girls – MP, was published by the Times of Swaziland. The article reported that Member of Parliament (MP), Michael Masuku, stated that teenage pregnancy should be a punishable offence. Saying that making teenage pregnancy a punishable offence would reduce its […]
Southern Africa needs better health care for women and girls on the move
This article was originally written for The Conversation By Rebecca Walker and Jo Vearey Women are on the move throughout southern Africa. They move within the countries they were born in, or cross borders in the region. Although more men than women migrate the data shows that the number of women migrating within the Southern […]
SECTION27, TAC and Sonke welcome approval of settlement agreement in Silicosis Class Action
Sonke Gender Justice, the Treatment Action Campaign and SECTION27 welcome the Gauteng High Court’s approval of the settlement agreement in the Silicosis Class Action. SECTION27 represented Sonke Gender Justice and the Treatment Action Campaign in the application to certify the class in the case in 2015, arguing in that case for the transmissibility of general […]
Activists highlight how state capture affects everyday life
This article was originally written for Groundup.com By Tariro Washinyira About 100 people gathered at the Central Methodist Church on Saturday morning to consider how state capture has been affecting their lives. The forum was organised by commuter activist group #UniteBehind. Activists representing many organisations, including Reclaim the City, Ndifuna Ukwazi, Right to Know, and Sonke […]
How communities are addressing violence against women in South Africa
This article was originally written for ABC News By Candace Smith Gender-based violence knows no borders, but in South Africa, femicide – the killing of women – seems to have touched every woman of every walk of life, and from every social sphere. Delphine, a South African survivor of domestic abuse who asked that her […]
MenEngage Mali officially launched
The Mali network of MenEngage Africa Alliance was officially launched at a workshop chaired by Mali’s Permanent Secretary of the National Gender Policy, Tounkara Sophie Souko on the 11th and 12th of July 2019. The workshop was realised thanks to the joint efforts of the government of Mali and the Secretariat of MenEngage Mali – […]
Society for Improvement of Rural People (SIRP – Nigeria) joins Thriving Together campaign to highlight world’s most important, yet ignored environmental action
The Thriving Together campaign recognises that family planning is critically important not only for women and girls, but also for the environment. On 11 July 2019, Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP – Nigeria, Secretariat for MenEngage Nigeria) joins over 150 other leading environmental and reproductive health organisations to pledge support for a first-of-its-kind […]
Opening remarks from UNICEF SA Child Protection Officer at State of the World’s Fathers Report launch
UNICEF SA partnered with Sonke Gender Justice for the South African launch of the 2019 State of the World’s Fathers Report, and Engaging Fathers: The MenCare Child Care and Protection Programme Brief in Pretoria on 26 June 2019. Gloria Khoza, Child Protection Officer for the organisation, gave opening remarks at the launch. Launch: State of […]
Women are still facing battle for equal pay
Women in South Africa are paid 19.4% less than men on hourly wages.
Sonke is alarmed by funding crisis faced by Thuthuzela Care Centres and the impact on survivors of gender-based violence
Sonke Gender Justice is alarmed by recent media reports which claim that half of the Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) across the country are without counselling services or forced to rely on only one or two social workers to assist victims of sexual abuse and violence, due to lack of funding.1 This is partly because funding from […]
Sonke welcomes Landmark ruling by Botswana High Court abolishing homophobic laws and condemns treatment of George Barasa by South Africa’s Home Affairs
Sonke Gender Justice welcomes yesterday’s ruling by Botswana’s High Court which abolished colonial-era laws that criminalised homosexuality. Under the Botswana penal code, a person could face up to seven years imprisonment for same-sex relations. The ruling is a significant victory for LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights on the continent, where as many […]
Togo : Le réseau MenEngage en assemblée générale élective
« Travailler avec les hommes et les garçons pour l’égalité du genre », en abrégé MenEngage, la branche Togolaise de ce réseau (MenEngage Togo) a tenu sa toute première assemblée générale ordinaire de mise en place de ses organes dirigeants le jeudi 6 juin à Lomé. Cette assemblée a pour thème: Engagement des hommes et […]
Civil rights organisations call for release of Farirai Gumbonzvanda and her co-accused
MenEngage Africa and MenEngage Global Alliance are regional and global alliances connecting over 44 country networks and 6 regional networks across the world advocating for gender justice and the promotion of human rights, and together with Sonke Gender Justice, we call for the immediate release and dropping of all charges against Farirai Gumbonzvanda, a 25 […]
