GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - #TheTotalShutdown, or TTS, a movement formed to dismantle patriarchy and fight gender-based violence and femicide, turns one year old on 1 August, and Knysna-Plett Herald checked in with local activist Candice Ludick to find out what they have achieved thus far.
On 1 August last year, this movement mobilised as they took the plight of women to the streets across the country, while in Pretoria they marched to the Union Buildings to submit a list of 24 demands to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
A year later, Ludick said the Knysna team would be joining their Cape Town counterparts to participate in a ribbon-tying ceremony. In the area at Parliament, 3 915 ribbons will be tied around trees to symbolise the 2 930 women murdered in the year 2017/18 (represented by red ribbons) and the 985 child murders in the same year (represented by black ribbons).
Reflecting on their journey locally, Ludick said they have had collaborated efforts with Knysna Community Police Forum and Knysna Women's Forum to raise awareness about gender-based violence. They have volunteers in Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and George, who contribute to the movement's cause either with their time or skills.
Ludick and her team have been monitoring court processes to gather cases where the justice system has been failing victims, to refer them to relevant services providers.
"When the relevant service providers or the system is failing we make a noise – there are so many women who lose their lives. Our cause is to fight for the perpetrator to be brought to book," said Ludick.
As the person who is at the forefront of the local movement, Ludick said a major frustration is to witness victims being retraumatised at the hands of the justice system and not receiving the healing they need. "There are no shelters, so the victims of abusive relationships don't have anywhere to go. We don't really have solutions and also, the pace the wheels of justice turn, is a frustration."
She said their biggest challenge locally has been to get people to commit to activism. The movement is not affiliated to any political party but consists purely of individual women who are willing to stand by each other and fight gender-based violence and femicide.
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