On 1 August 2018, the #TotalShutDown movement organised a nationwide protest against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) and handed a list of 24 demands to the government. One of these demands was for a national GBVF Summit which was held in November later that year. At the Summit, the President made many promises, one of which was to update several existing laws and policies relating to GBVF to better protect survivors and increase their access to justice. In late 2019, the country erupted in protests once more, calling for a state of emergency. Soon after, in April 2020, the National Strategic Plan on GBVF was published and three important GBVF bills were released for public comment, namely the Domestic Violence Amendment Bill, the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Bill and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill. In the year that followed, the Bills were introduced to Parliament and underwent three rounds of changes, each time calling for comments from the public. In September 2021, Parliament passed the Bills were passed and sent to the President for assent. In January 2022, President Ramaphosa signed all these Bills into law. This document focuses on the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 13 of 2021.
Publication Type: Curriculum, Training & Tools
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Engaging Interfaith Toolkit
This training manual aims to create awareness of SGBV and Femicide, by creating safer spaces to enable, navigate and embrace both inter-religious and traditional leadership involvement in the protection, healing and emancipation of communities directly affected by SGBV. Through this training manual these terms will be used con-concurrently i.e. ‘religio-cultural’1 as a way of engaging openly within the diverse dynamics of inter-faith context and traditional leadership. The engagement will be sensitive and respect social and cultural diversity as felt and lived in our communities where the agency to curb the scourge of (Sexual Gender-Based Violence) SGBV and Femicide is demanding urgent attention. Then calls for religio-cultural involvement to review their position on engaging in the struggle to protect human rights for the most vulnerable children and women in communities.
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Engaging Men in the Elimination of Child Marriage
The State of the World’s Fathers report (www.stateoftheworldsfathers.org) is rooted firmly in a feminist analysis of care and the belief that unpaid care work must be valued equally with paid work and shared equally between men and women. Fatherhood marks a critical transition in a man’s life when he can either embrace a loving, caring, nurturing role – more fully embodying gender equality in practice – or demonstrate restrictive notions of what it means to be a man – for example, as a financial provider and protector, but no more.
Father-child relationships, in all communities and at all stages of a child’s life, have profound and wide-ranging impacts on children that last a lifetime, whether these relationships are positive, negative or lacking. Men’s participation as fathers and caregivers also matters tremendously in women’s lives, and also positively affects the lives of men themselves. It is against this backdrop that the MenCare Global Fatherhood Campaign, initiated by Promundo and Sonke Gender Justice, has a mission to promote men’s involvement as equitable, non- violent fathers and caregivers in order to achieve family well-being, gender equality and better health for mothers, fathers and children.
The aim is for men to be allies in supporting women’s social and economic equality, in part by taking on more responsibility for childcare and domestic work. It was with this motivation that Sonke Gender Justice entered into a partnership with Save the Children International
in East Africa (Regional and Multi-Country Programme Unit), to promote the MenCare
Global Fatherhood Campaign in East and Southern Africa. The specific area of focus for this partnership is child protection, underpinned by the following themes:- Working with fathers to end child marriage;
- Improving unpaid caregiving by fathers; and
- Engaging fathers to end violence against children in the home and in all spaces, includingcorporal punishment.
This manual therefore responds to the first thematic area of ending child marriage by working with families, specifically men and boys.The manual seeks to address the root causes of gender inequality (and hence child, early and forced marriage) targeting men and boys. Also, to target others with power and influence in the household and community such as mothers-in-law – to be aware not only of the negative impact of gender inequality, but to open their eyes to the role they (we all) play in maintaining the status quo. (Jacky Repila, Senior Gender Officer at Girls Not Brides, recorded in a stakeholder workshop about the manual)
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A MenEngage Africa Toolkit for Engaging Men and Boys to Advocate for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation
The overall goal of the FGM toolkit is to inform MenEngage Africa partners and other similar minded stakeholders on how to engage men and boys to advocate for an end to FGM. It is intended to create awareness on how to engage with men and boys in their diversities as they implement campaigns on ending FGM. This toolkit is hugely important because in many cases men and boys are missing in programmes aimed at ending FGM. The toolkit is available in English and French.
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Dealing with the Challenges of Liquor at Community Level
The World Health Organisation (WHO) 2018 Global Report on Alcohol and Health says that, in South Africa, 38.3% of men above 15 years old have never drunk liquor. It also says that 18.5% used to drink, but have now stopped. This means that, in South Africa, 56.8% of men above 15 years old don’t drink.
The report also says that 68% of women above the age of 15 have never drunk liquor, while 12.7% did drink, but stopped. So, altogether, 80.6% of women in South Africa above the age of 15 don’t drink.
So, if we count men and women together, we find that 69% of men and women above the age of 15 don’t drink liquor at all. Therefore only 31% of people in South Africa above the age of 15 drink liquor. This means that less than a third of all people above the age of 15 in South Africa are drinkers.
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MenCare in Africa Media Kit
This Media Kit seeks to promote men as caregivers and fathers, through media campaigns, educational programmes and advocacy initiatives. Different campaigns tell the stories of men who challenge stereotypes to become more involved care-givers for their children. Other initiatives engage policy makers to legislate paid leave for new parents.
Media is a powerful tool to reach people with these messages, to educate and influence public opinion and debate. Media has enormous potential to affect social and individual change. But we must use it well and wisely if it is to change the quality of people’s lives in a meaningful and sustained way.
This Toolkit offers guidelines on how to use the power of media and stories to promote MenCare. It aims to inspire and give fresh ideas on how to harness the power of media to reach large audiences. It explores how to use stories to move people emotionally and catalyse discussion and debate. We explain simple models of behaviour change for you to consider when you design your campaign.
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Case Monitoring Guide for Community Activists
This guide is in response to a growing worry around the failure of the South African criminal justice system. Complaints include the police’s lack of urgency or respect when charging people, the overlong delays in court cases and the victim’s input throughout the legal process.
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Reporting on Migration in South Africa
The media has an important role to play in changing perceptions and reshaping the conversations around migration. Sensationalist or over-simplified stories on migration or xenophobia can perpetuate or even encourage violence. It is therefore important to write about cross-border migration in a way that is responsible and educational. This guide was written with the understanding that journalists and editors work under immense pressure. It provides helpful guidelines when reporting on migration and pointers on how to avoid common pitfalls.
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MenEngage Training Manual
This training curriculum focuses on tackling HIV/AIDS and promoting gender equality. It seeks to empower MenEngage Africa country networks and partners in their work engaging men and boys for better outcomes around HIV and gender transformation across the continent. The curriculum is divided into four main modules:
- Gender transformation;
- Enabling change;
- Facilitating the change process; and
- Community media work.
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Safe Rides For Everyone!
Everyone needs safe, reliable, affordable public transport – but trains that are not safe to travel on often impact more on women and children as they are physically more vulnerable.
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Safe Ride! Facilitator’s Guide
This guide is to help you, the presenter or facilitator, with additional information and ideas about presenting the Safe Ride! radio dramas on your radio station, in a community discussion, or at universities and schools.
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A Movement for Change: Toolkit
This toolkit was developed through the We Will Speak Out South Africa (WWSOSA) partnership. The information compiled in the pamphlets was informed by a series of workshops and trainings for faith communities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal through Amplify Change funding. The toolkit is designed to enable faith leaders and faith communities in a Movement for Change that will work towards eliminating SGBV. It hopes to provide people of faith with tools that they can use to ensure that people who have experienced these forms of violence get support they need, but also suggest ways in which we can work together to prevent SGBV and address its drivers.
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Church Resource Manual on Sexual Gender Based Violence
The Church resource Manual on SGBV was re-printed from the We Will Speak Out South Africa (WWSOSA) website. The manual has different Bible studies, chosen by individuals who have worked on contextual Bible Studies and are aware of the issues of sexual violence and gender justice that churches are grappling with.
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Faith Leaders and the LGBT Community Toolkit
Welcome to the ‘Faith Communities and LGBT’ Toolkit. The issue of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Asexual (LGBT) in Faith Organisations, is a global challenge that most of the world’s Faith Organisations are grappling with. Until recently major Faith Organisations have opposed or prohibited LGBT people until recently. Sonke has developed this toolkit as a useful resource for your organisation.
Recent surveys reflect a shift, not only in attitude towards, but also in understanding of LGBT people in Faith Organisations. For example, the number of mainstream Christian Churches and denominations who welcome and affirm LGBT people are growing exponentially and over the last three decades expanded to over 90 different denominations across 46 countries.
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Do No Harm
This presentation is ideal to be used hand-in-hand with the Faith Leaders and the LGBT Community toolkit. It takes participants through definitions that people often find difficult in understanding the terms used within the LGBT Community. This is an easy and simplified version that can be used, even during faith discussions, by almost anybody.
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When Faith and Sexuality Conflict
This presentation is ideal to be used hand-in-hand with the Faith Leaders and the LGBT Community toolkit. It enables members of Faith Communities to;
- Reflect on the conflict the LGBT Community might face between their faith and their sexuality
- Understand how this conflict might impact on the health and well-being of a LGBT person
- Appreciate that they individually can impact on the LGBT Communities ability to worship and exercise their faith
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One Judge One Jail
Consistent and effective prison oversight is a crucial means by which to ensure that inmates’ rights are monitored and protected. Together with the Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Services (JICS), judges and parliamentarians are empowered to conducted regular visits to prisons and to report on the conditions and treatment of inmates. We strongly encourage the exercise of this power, and have created a user-friendly inspection toolkit in order to facilitate this process. The toolkit takes into account all relevant legislation, policies and guidelines, and should be used by judges and parliamentarians in order to mainstream their inspections and reporting on prisons.
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MenEngage Alliance Accountability Training Toolkit
The training toolkit was developed to complement and put into practice the Accountability Standards and Guidelines of MenEngage Alliance. Through critical dialogue around what it means to be accountable to women’s rights and other important stakeholders, individuals and organizations will be able to define ways in which a culture of accountability can be promoted in their own actions, organizations and networks.
Above all, these efforts are underpinned by MenEngage Alliance’s commitment to act in accordance with our Core Principles and Code of Conduct, and ensure that members act in a manner that upholds the integrity of the Alliance and our collective work.
What does it contain?
The training toolkit contains seven practical sessions and supporting tools (such
as case studies) modeled from existing gender-transformative methodologies. In addition to provoking dialogue on issues of accountability, these sessions aim to
aid organizations in developing concrete strategies for prevention and response in cases of breaches of good conduct. The toolkit also provides key definitions, a tool to develop a timeline for implementation, and another tool to conduct a self-evaluation.Who is it for?
The intended users of this toolkit are individuals, organizations and networks belonging to MenEngage Alliance, but it will also be useful for others working in the field of engaging men and boys for women’s rights and gender justice.
How should it be used?
The toolkit can be implemented as a three-day workshop session, or one session at a time over a one-week period. It can be implemented at the organizational level (i.e., with other staff members and implementing partners), and/or at the national or regional level, such as with members of a MenEngage network.
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Church Resource Manual on Sexual Gender Based Violence
This book has different Bible studies, chosen by individuals who have worked on contextual Bible studies and are aware of the issues of sexual violence and gender justice that churches are grappling with in 21st Century South Africa. A self-discovery tool helps you identify which areas you may benefit from addressing first. If you score low in a particular area during the self-discovery, you can then use the relevant Bible study to look at this issue in more detail. The Bible studies follow a clear layout. You may wish to photocopy the self-discovery pages and Bible study pages to give to others in the group.
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Reporting on Gender-Based Violence
Rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa are staggeringly high, with a recent study in 2016 by StatsSA indicating that one in five partnered women have experienced physical violence in the 12 months prior to the survey.
In developing this guide, it is understood that journalists and editors work under immense pressure, and that at times it may feel that ethics should take a backseat when reporting on a big story. Yet we ask that journalists and their editors hold this guide in mind and ensure that they report in a way that is in the best interests of the survivors whose stories are being told.
Still, GBV remains largely hidden and consigned to the private sphere, thus diminishing the public discussions about violence. The media has an important role to play in shining a light on what has until now remained silent and to change this perception and to reshape the conversations to galvanize action for change.
With the increase in reporting on cases of GBV in the media in recent months, we have seen the potential of the mainstream media to affect the way that we think, understand and talk about violence within our communities.
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Faith Leaders and the LGBT Community Toolkit
This toolkit was developed through the We Will Speak Out South Africa (WWSOSA) partnership. The information compiled in the pamphlets was informed by a series of workshops and trainings for faith communities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal through Amplify Change funding. Sonke recognises the journey of a Faith Organisation from being non-affirming to welcoming and affirming of the LGBT Community. While it may be easy for some, for others it may be slow and even painful. However, this toolkit will allow all Faith Organisations an opportunity to embrace the fundamentals of love and compassion. This toolkit is also ideal to be used together with the LGBT pamphlets and PowerPoint presentations.
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One Judge One Jail
South African prisons are fraught with conditions that lead to human rights abuses and high rates of sexual violence, HIV transmission and TB infection. Regular monitoring and reporting acts as a preventative measure against human rights abuses in prisons, including ill treatment and torture. This guide outlines the basic minimum standards of treatment for all persons in prison custody, and provides guiding principles and a tool that will assist judges, magistrates and Members of Parliament in conducting holistic and consistent prison inspections sensitive to the specific population incarcerated (e.g. remand detainees, migrants, sentenced inmates, women or children).
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Time to Talk
Children face confusing and often inaccurate information about sex and sexuality. Despite the need for clarity and guidance, there is still a resounding silence on sexuality in homes, schools and communities. Reasons for this include different beliefs and social expectations, lack of understanding about the critical importance of empowering children and adolescents with knowledge about their bodies and sexuality, and fear that talking about sex and sexuality might encourage teens to become sexually active. In some cultures, certain topics relating to sexuality are even considered taboo. Furthermore, many adults feel embarrassed talking about sexual matters, and lack confidence in their ability to communicate with children appropriately.
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A Community Mobilisation Training Manual for Preventing men’s use of violence against women
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the 35% of women globally who experience it. Prevalence of VAWG is alarmingly high in Southern Africa. Large studies among South African men found that 27.5 – 31.8% report enacting violence towards partners, and 27.6% of men have ever raped. These high rates of violence against partners and non-partners are consistent with population-based findings from studies among men in other regions. There is an urgent need to engage men in challenging rigid adherence to inequitable ideas about manhood and encourage men to become agents of change – both to reduce VAWG, and for the benefit of communities, families, and men themselves.