Report back on 16-Days of Activism campaign

By Tando Mfengwana
06 March 2007

Today the National Convenor for the 16 days of Activism for no violence against women and children campaign, Deputy minister for Provincial and local government, Nomatyala Hangana gave a detailed report back on all aspects of the campaign for 2006.

The minister announced that the campaign will no longer run for just the 16 days between November 25 and 10 December, instead, it will in turn run for the whole year.

Hangana said that the campaign last year focussed on rural and informal settlement-based women and children, and on getting men and boys to come on board as partners in the campaign.

Other focuses were that the campaign should go beyond the South African borders and raise funds for shelters and organisation helping abused women and children.

SMSes and postcard initiatives aimed at raising funds to help sustain organisation helping abused women and children, were launched.

The minister said that a total of 1 million postcards were sent by South African Post Offices (SAPO) and a total of six hundred thousand was distributed

Four hundred thousand of these postcards were distributed by Government Communications and Information Services (GCIS) to various government departments.

Hangana said that 400 000 were signed and returned, which turns to R79 250 worth of funds. The SMS campaign saw some good returns of R17 304.55 out of the 6076 SMSes sent.

The deputy minister also took the opportunity to thank the department of Public Enterprise's, together with the State-owned enterprise for giving them about R1. 6million.

In her closing comments the National Coordinator said the campaign has placed the issue of women and children on the national agenda.

It has got women to understand that gender-based violence is not an issue to hide away and that silence is the worst enemy in fighting the scourge.

She said they have made steps in getting traditional leaders and men to commit themselves in the fight against violence against women and children.