16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

SOUTH AFRICAN POST OFFICES AND POWA EXHIBITION AND LETTER WRITING PROJECT

People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) is working with the South African Post Offices to run an innovative and informative awareness campaign for postal workers. The project has two components to it – the first component was encouraging women postal workers to write anonymous letters to those who abused them. The letters serve both as catharsis and will also form part of the advocacy materials used in the exhibition. The exhibition, which will run for the duration of the 16 Days of Activism in two Post Office sites, is a multimedia experience focusing on

- Domestic violence, where the exhibition space is a bedroom with facts and figures on domestic violence
- Rape, where the exhibition consists of life-size cutouts so that visitors can walk among the cutout figures
- Sexual harassment, where the visitor is surrounded by a recording of a sexual harassment survivor telling her story.
The exhibition also features the history of the struggle for women’s rights in the form of protest art, interviews with Post Office women on the progress made internally over the past 30 years, and it informs victims/ survivor what they can do when confronted with abuse. The exhibition will be put up at the Post Office headquarters in Pretoria and at Witspos mail-sorting centre in Johannesburg.

POWA, SONKE GENDER JUSTICE NETWORK AND UNICEF IN MUSINA PROJECT

People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) and Sonke Gender Justice Network, with the support of UNICEF, are running a collaborative project aimed at improving Sexual and Gender Based Violence programs in Musina and surrounding areas. It is hoped that by the end of the project that women refugees, in particular women survivors of gender based violence, have improved access to women-centred, responsive, rights based and holistic services. On the 25 November a number of different activities are planned to commemorate the start of the 16 Days of Activism including:- mural painting and protest poetry performed by migrant and local South African women and a symbolic signing of a policy and procedure document by service providers.

LAUNCH OF THE 1ST FOR WOMEN POWA HOUSE

POWA will officially launch the first second-stage housing facility for abused women in Gauteng on 27 November 2009. The apartment building, centrally located in Johannesburg, was purchased for People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) by 1st for Women Insurance Brokers. The second stage housing facility is available to survivors of gender-based violence, with or without children, on a rent-geared-to-income basis. Second stage housing enhances survivors’ ability to live violent free lives on a long term basis. Coming from abusive experiences this serves as a bridging program for women to begin to live independently and to take control of their lives

Date: Friday, 27 November 2009

WORKSHOPS ON CUSTOMARY LAW AND WOMEN

POWA will be conducting workshops on customary law marriages. The workshops will be conducted in the following areas: Denver, Soweto, Tembisa and Katlehong. The workshops will run on 25 November 2009, 02, and 09 of December 2009. The purpose is to educate women on the law regarding customary marriages and to raise awareness on the new amendments to the Customary Law Act.

REACHING OUT TO RESIDENTS IN ALEXANDRA INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) in partnership with ADAPT, Lifeline, Alexandra Police Station, Government Communications System Centre, Community Development Workers of Local government, and SANCA, will be working with 12 Avenue and Malboro Informal Settlements in Alexandra Township during the 16 /365 days of activism on violence against women and children. The work is aimed at creating awareness on violence against women and HIV/AIDS in these particular communities. The initiative is also aimed at encouraging community participation and involvement in the fight against VAW and HIV/AIDS. The work will include information stall, information distribution, one on one discussions on violence against women and HIV/AIDS. It is scheduled for the 25 November and 1 December 2009 from 09h00 – 13h00.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* For more information on any of the events listed above please contact Nehwoh Belinda Geh, POWA on 00 27 (0)79 927 7996.
* People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) works to create a safer society that does not tolerate violence against women, and where women are powerful, self-reliant, equal and respected.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.