BrandSouthAfrica.com

Wear the white ribbon and ‘Act against Abuse’. That’s the call of this year’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign. Starting on 25 November (which is International Day of No Violence against Women), the campaign will be supported across the world until it ends on 10 December (International Human Rights Day).

Says Margaret Dingalo, stakeholder relations director for the International Marketing Council (IMC) of South Africa: “The call to action in these 16 days is vital, as abuse against women and children is unacceptably high in South Africa, despite our world-renowned constitution and strong legal emphasis on the rights of women.”

She adds that “South Africa can only be fully Alive with Possibility when we rid the country of abuse against women and children. By building national awareness during these 16 Days of Activism, we can encourage people to act against abuse during the rest of the year.”

Although the global campaign, which celebrates its 16th anniversary this year, focuses on violence against women, South Africa added children to its campaign because of the high incidence of child abuse in the country.

This year the campaign is coordinated by the Department of Provincial and Local Government. The vision of Deputy-Minister Nomatyala Hangana is that the campaign be taken to people at grass roots level and beyond the borders of South Africa.

The IMC encourages everyone to support the campaign by wearing a white ribbon during the 16 days that it runs for. A white ribbon symbolises peace, and signifies the commitment of the wearer to never perpetrate or condone violence against women and children, and to speak out about violence whenever they see it.

White ribbons can be sourced from women’s empowerment groups.

For more information, including electronic copies of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign logo and slogan, which can be included on websites and correspondence go to www.info.gov.za/16days/.