RELATED LINKS: Gender Links For more information on Gender Links, click here. 16 Days For more information on the 16 Days campaign, click here. Pass office is a place of shelter Once a potent symbol of the hated apartheid laws, the old Albert Street Pass Office is now a warm and welcoming refuge for battered and abused women and children. Read more Bombani to shelter abused women A new, purpose-built Bombani Safe House for Abused Women has opened in Alexandra, where up to 20 women and their children will be able to get help. Read more Conference looks at 365 days of activism Salga conference aims to develop a year-long programme to combat gender violence and the abuse of women and children. Read more Take Back the Night march kicks off 16 Days campaign It's a year since the last 16 Days of Activism campaign against abuse of women and children. And again people are urged to stop violence against the vulnerable. Read more Have your say on gender violence The 16 Days Cyber Dialogues enable ordinary people to express their views on woman and child abuse. They also offer a space for those affected by gender violence to speak out. Read more

16 Days of Activism calls for an end to violence against women and children .

Join the campaign against abuse For the tenth year, Joburg is taking part in the international 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. It is time to take a stand against the abuse of women and children. November 19, 2007 By SAinfo Reporter OVER 16 days, South Africans are challenged to declare a truce on violence against women and children. But the ultimate challenge of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign is to make it a permanent truce. This year marks the 10th year that South Africa is taking part in the global campaign, which runs from 25 November - International Day of No Violence against Women - through to International Human Rights Day on 10 December. It includes 1 December, World Aids Day. While the global campaign focuses on violence against women, South Africa added children because of the amount of child abuse in the country. There are high levels of violence against the country's women and children, despite a world-renowned Constitution and a legislative overhaul that safeguards women's and children's rights. The government, business, civil society organisations, state-owned enterprises, faith-based organisations and the media all participate in the drive to increase awareness of violence against and abuse of women and children, and the negative effects it has. The campaign also aims to: Challenge the perpetrators of violence to change their behaviour; Involve men and boys in helping to eradicate violence; Provide survivors with information about services and organisations that can help lessen the impact of violence on their lives; and Extend its reach beyond South Africa's borders. What you can do People are urged to support the campaign by wearing a white ribbon during the 16-day period to symbolise their commitment to "never commit or condone violence against women or children, and to speak out about violence where they see it". People can also pledge their support by signing the 16 Days Postcard and emailing it or posting it free of charge at any post office. Each card signed and collected will raise R1 for the campaign. Ecards can be selected, customised and sent from the Mweb ecards website, while postcards can be collected at any post office or multipurpose community centre. They can also help by sending an SMS with the words "16 Days" to 31616. Each SMS will raise a further R10 for the campaign. All money raised will be forwarded to the Foundation for Human Rights, which will channel it to organisations that support survivors of violence and abuse. Other ways of supporting the campaign: Donate money to organisations working to end violence against women and children by making a contribution to the Foundation for Human Rights; Check out the calendar and attend a 16 Days event; Check out the directory of helping organisations and volunteer some of your time and energy; or Join the online Cyber Dialogues around the campaign. Rhetoric and reality South Africa, according to non-governmental organisation Gender Links, needs to close the gap between the "rhetoric of gender equality" and the "reality on the ground". Gender Links says the country has made impressive strides in recognising the roles and rights of women and children. The Constitution recognises gender equality as the cornerstone of South Africa's democracy, and new legislation - such as the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act and the Domestic Violence Act - have been lauded for enforcing the rights of women. But more needs to be done. "Changing laws can be swift," says Gender Links. "Giving them effect, and changing the mindsets that often render them ineffective, is a much more demanding task." Source: The official South African portal: southafrica.info Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page Send an online postcard E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za