16 Days of Activism
for No Violence against
Women and Children

• Countdown to the 16 Days of Activism - Unite Against Woman and Child Abuse, Campaign 2005
• Toolkit
• White Ribbon Suppliers
• Concept Document

MINISTRY: CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

E-mail: cheryl.gillwald@dcs.gov.za
Private Bag X853, Pretoria, 0001 ▪ Private Bag X9131, Cape Town, 8000
Tel: +27 12 307-2933 Fax: +27 12 326-1261 ▪ Tel: +27 21 464-4600 Fax: +27 21 462-4833
 

25 June 2005

Dear Campaign Friend

Countdown to the 16 Days of Activism - Unite Against Woman and Child Abuse, Campaign 2005

1. The 16 Days of Activism: Unite Against Woman and Child Abuse, Campaign 2005 is just around the corner!  Once again, my office has been tasked with coordinating activities and encouraging participation by government and civil society partners.  It is time to get active, get serious and to get involved in this annual Campaign to stop Woman and Child Abuse.
    
2. The planning phase for the national Campaign programme is already well underway.  A number of provincial brainstorming sessions and consultative forums with key campaign partners and supporters have recently been completed.  The Government Communication and Information System is also finalising this year’s campaign artwork and conceptualizing the 2005 campaign theme, logo, relevant key messages and strapline.  Details will be forwarded to you in due course.
    
3. Copies of the 2004 campaign close-out report have already been circulated to most of our existing campaign partners.  Should you not have received a copy of the document kindly liaise with Ms Liezel Delport on 083 253 4884 for assistance. 
    
4. We hope that Campaign 2005 will be bigger, better and more successful than all our previous efforts.  We can only achieve this with you as our committed partner.

 We look forward to hearing from you.

 Yours sincerely

signed Ms Cheryl Gillwald (MP)
Deputy Minister of Correctional Services

back to top

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has been tasked by the Presidency to coordinate the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children - Campaign 2005. The Campaign kicks off on the International Day of No Violence Against Women, (25 November) and ends on International Human Rights Day (10 December). Our task is to coordinate the activities of all government departments and our civil society and corporate partners. We aim to grow the campaign’s reach year-on-year with the support and commitment of our friends in all sectors.

We have therefore decided to commence with the planning and organisation of Campaign 2005 much earlier in an effort to realize this objective. As part of your organisation’s commitment to and participation in Campaign 2005, we propose that one or more of the following ideas and activities be considered as part of your involvement in the program:

Alert staff prior to the commencement of the Campaign on the 25 November 2005 by

• Broadcasting Campaign messages on internal PA-systems and CCTV networks prior to and during the 16 day Campaign period (25 November – 10 December)

• Utilising the Campaign logo, strapline and messaging on company correspondence, websites, internet facilities, employee pay slips, client credit card and account statements, banners, adverts, posters, pamphlets, ATMs, etc. Campaign Strapline and messaging details will be provided to your organisation in due course

• Using campaign messaging (logos) with company logos on corporate merchandise (caps, t-shirts etc) for the duration of the campaign

• Purchasing campaign T-shirts for your management and staff to wear during the campaign period

• Purchasing and distributing campaign white ribbons to employees and customers during the campaign period. Please find attached a list of companies that will be able to assist with the production and supply of the campaign ribbons

• Raising funds for the Foundation for Human Rights by means of internal company campaigns, competitions, challenges, etc. These funds will then be allocated, on a pledge basis to NGOs and CBOs that work with victims and survivors of violence. Banking details are available upon request

• Making corporate donations to the Foundation for Human Rights or NGOs and CBOs working with victims and survivors of abuse

• Adopting a shelter for abused women and children with a view to contributing to the operational and financial management of these centres during the campaign period

• Publishing campaign news stories in company publications and websites

• Conceptualising and managing SMS campaigns in support of 16 Days of Activism Campaign

• Hosting workshops, discussion sessions, etc on topical issues related to woman and child abuse during the campaign period

• Developing and implementing gender- and anti-violence policies within the work environment

• Establishing internal help-lines and providing assistance / counseling for victims of domestic violence and / or sexual harassment within the work environment

• Wrap your office building in a huge white ribbon – there is a company that specialises in this for high rise buildings!!

• Adding any events that you plan onto the National Calendar of Events for the 16-day period. An event form is available upon request

We hope that Campaign 2005 will be bigger, better and more successful. We can achieve this, and more, with you as partners.

Please circulate and distribute this toolkit to your clients, customers and colleagues.

back to top

WHITE RIBBON SUPPLIERS

back to top

CONCEPT DOCUMENT

BACKGROUND

The 16 Days of Activism: No Violence Against Women is a United Nations campaign. It takes place annually between 25 November (International Day of No Violence Against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day). The South African Government runs a parallel campaign that includes issues relating to violence against children. This campaign focuses primarily on generating an increased awareness of the negative impact of violence on women and children.

The Department of Correctional Services, as the lead department, is working closely with the Office on the Status of Women in the Presidency (OSW), the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDP), the Office on the Status of Children (OSC) as well as other government departments.

In addition, strategic partnerships between government, civil society and business, have been established to broaden the potential impact of the campaign.

THE CAMPAIGN’S PURPOSE

• To generate an increased level of awareness amongst South Africans pertaining to the incidence of violence perpetuated against women and children, how it manifests itself within South African society and the negative impact on these vulnerable groups;

• To challenge perpetrators of these offences to change their behaviour;

• To enhance and increase partnerships between government, the private sector, civil society, organised labour, sectoral groups, the faith based organisations, the media (electronic and print) and the diplomatic community in an effort to spread the message;

• To align events in the national programme with that of the international theme for this year;

• To raise funds for NGOs that work within the sector, providing invaluable support to the victims and survivors of violence;

• To communicate through the most effective and appropriate channels aiming to reach the maximum number of people across the country, particularly women and children residing in rural areas;

• To engage actively with men and boys in the discourse about combating violence in our homes, our communities and in the workplace; and

• To highlight the stories of survivors of gender-based violence and the impact that the campaign has had on their lives.

THE CAMPAIGN MECHANISM

South Africans are called to support the campaign by utilising the white ribbon symbol in innovative and inventive ways to reflect solidarity. By wearing these ribbons for the duration of the 16-day period, employers and employees will provide an effective and striking visual tool through which to elicit campaign support. Unions and professional organisations will also be encouraged to garner support within their ranks alongside members and representatives from the sporting fraternity.

GOVERNMENT’S CALENDAR OF EVENTS

National, provincial and local government representatives in the National Gender Machinery prepare sector-specific, rural-and urban-based activities for the campaign. This information is fed into a national calendar of events, overseen and managed by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

GCIS and the broader media play a key strategic role in developing communication strategies and plans for the campaign. The interventions include a combination of formal advertising slots with public service announcements, participation in talk shows, magazine programmes and media information sessions. Radio advertising, targeting the various regions and specific language groups will form the backbone of the broader outreach programme.

PARTICIPATING COMPANIES, PARASTATALS AND NGOs

Participating partners will be requested to feature the campaign logo extensively in internal publications and correspondence, on their websites and in messaging to their clients. They will also be asked to feature the campaign logo on product adverts and as part of their individual advertising campaigns. Corporate donations will be sought to augment the fundraising initiative on behalf of NGOs working with victims and survivors of violence.

Employers and employees will be encouraged to support the white ribbon campaign and to source their white ribbons (beaded, ceramic or lint fabric) from women’s empowerment groups that supply these lapel buttons, pins and ribbons. A database of preferred service providers has been compiled.

CAMPAIGN IMPACT

The combination of Government, business and civil society activities and interventions, the envisaged saturation of media coverage via advertising, public service announcements, interviews and editorial pronouncements in conjunction with the extensive education campaign will undoubtedly contribute to a heightened national awareness of the issues related to violence and the importance of integrated solutions to the problem.

CALL TO ACTION

The rights of women and children are fundamental human rights entrenched in and protected by the Constitution. They are thus inalienable from, integral to and indivisible from the human rights framework. Gender-based violence in all its different guises is incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person, and must be eliminated.

back to top