NATIONAL NEWS - On the eve of one of the world’s biggest gatherings of leaders, South Africans are planning a shutdown to bring the country to a standstill for GBV awareness.
A sea of purple profile pictures has taken over social media in South Africa, all in support of the G20 women’s shutdown, planned for 21 November, just a day before the G20 summit is set to start.
“We call on all women and members of the LGBTQI+ community across South Africa to refrain from all paid and unpaid work in workplaces, universities and homes, and to spend no money for the entire day to demonstrate the economic and social impact of their absence,” a call to action reads on the Women for Change website.
The movement further demands that GBV and femicide be declared a national disaster immediately.
“Because until South Africa stops burying a woman every 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot speak of growth and progress,” information on the website states.
How are people planning on participating?
According to the website, there are several ways in which people can participate in the shutdown.
This includes:
- Not going to work, whether a person gets paid or not.
- Not spending any money on the day and thus withdrawing from the economy for a day.
- Lying down for 15 minutes at 12:00 ‘to honour the 15 women murdered every day’.
- Wearing black.
- Changing your profile picture to purple to make the shutdown visible online.
- Using the hashtag #WomenShutdown on social media.
The website states that no physical marches or protests are planned on the day.
“This is not a rally – it is a shutdown. A collective refusal to keep the country running while women are dying. Instead of marching, we are calling for nationwide symbolic actions, including a 15-minute silent standstill at 12:00.”
Why is the women’s shutdown linked to G20?
The website states that the world’s most powerful leaders will gather in South Africa for the G20 summit. Yet, women are being murdered at an alarming rate in the country.
“Women and members of the LGBTQI+ community are being raped, abused and killed at rates higher than almost anywhere else in the world – and this violence is not treated as a global or national emergency.
“We refuse to allow South Africa to present itself as a ‘stable, growing economy’ while women’s bodies are the battlefield beneath it. The G20 women’s shutdown is a direct message to the world that you cannot speak of progress while women are dying.”
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