Like many South Africans, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has turned his social media profile picture to a purple icon in standing against gender-based violence (GBV). The initiative was started by activists Women For Change, who are facilitating a nationwide shutdown next Friday, 21 November.
The NGO has also started a petition – which has close to a million signatures – to declare the pandemic a national disaster.
SIYA KOLISI TAKES A STAND AGAINST GBV
On his Instagram account, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi joined countless social media users who have turned their profile pictures purple.
The 35-year-old is the co-founder of the Kolisi Foundation, an NGO, which, like Women For Change, is a strong anti-GBV advocate.
He has also spoken openly about how his late mother, Phakama, was also a victim of abuse.
“If you don’t say anything, you condone it. If somebody’s doing something to somebody else, I need to say something or else I’m supporting it”, Siya, a father of two, said about men taking accountability for their actions.
He later told 702: “As men, we have to have these uncomfortable conversations and listen to women. Because we can’t be part of the solution when at the same time we are also part of the problem.”
WOMEN FOR CHANGE TO SHUT DOWN SA
Meanwhile, Women For Change has revealed that close to one million South Africans have signed their petition to declare GBV a national disaster.
The NGO is facilitating a nationwide shutdown – called the G20 Women’s Shutdown – on Friday, 21 September, on the eve of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.
The shutdown appeals to women and members of the LGBTQ community to refrain from all paid and unpaid work in workplaces, universities, homes, and communities to demonstrate the economic and social impact of their absence.
It shared: “Because until South Africa stops burying a woman every 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot speak of growth and progress.
“We demand that Gender-Based Violence and Femicide be declared a National Disaster. Not tomorrow. Not at another summit. Now!”