Women for Change calls on men to join the fight against GBV

Women for Change (WFC) is urging South African men to take a decisive stand against gender-based violence (GBV), emphasising that they must be included in the national conversation and tasked with holding their peers accountable.

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) is currently championing a women’s shutdown campaign, planned for next Friday, ahead of the G20 Summit. 

READ: Women for Change calls on women to abstain from economy for a day

The initiative aims to visibly demonstrate the severe economic and social impact that women's absence has on the country.

Merlize Jogiat, operations and activism coordinator for WFC, stressed that a unified approach was essential to address the violence.

"I first want to say that it is a misconception that men are not allowed to get involved. We need allies. Men need to be allies with us," Jogiat stated.

While acknowledging that femicide cases were overwhelmingly perpetrated by men, she highlighted the crucial role that non-violent men must play.

"It's the safe men, the ones who have voices, who can stand behind us and hold us up, that need to share this message, speak to their friends, speak to their neighbours, call in the community of men that will listen to them," she added.

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