Everyday, everywhere in the country, at home, on the streets, at work, at church, women are beaten, murdered, raped, scorned, denied redress, exploited, and mutilated because they are women. Violence and the threat of violence exacerbate an already patriarchal system of social, economic, sexual and political inequality. As feminists, we are concerned that The 16 Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women is more about the self-promotion of government leaders and political parties and about maintaining the status quo than about ending the violence and inequality.

Every year, during women’s month and The 16 Days of Activism, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of rands are spent on lavish government launches, lunches, and ill-conceived public awareness campaigns and events. Money that could be better spent on improving sersvices is squandered on advertiing. The empty rhetoric and obscene spectacle of the exercise is made all the worse by the fact that even the existing, inadequate services in place to address gender based violence fail women on a daily basis because of institutionalised corruption and misogyny. Any woman who has tried to report rape or access any related services can testify to the particular forms of this daily betrayal.

As rape survivors, we refuse to have our lives turned into a sound byte for government officials and overpaid professional activists. We reject patriarchal “solutions” to women’s problems. We reclaim the right to speak for ourselves.

We stand in solidarity with poor women fighting for their lives and livelihoods all over the world.

OUR LIVES ARE NOT A MARKETING TOOL

– The One in Nine Campaign