South African Women Unite in Purple Protests Against Gender Violence

Fri Nov 21 2025 08:51:59 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a powerful display of solidarity, South African women are organizing nationwide protests to demand a declaration of gender-based violence as a national disaster. The campaign, fueled by social media, aims to confront the appalling rates of violence against women in the country.

Activists across South Africa are mobilizing for a nationwide protest to call for urgent action against gender-based violence (GBV), which remains alarmingly high in the nation. Set against the backdrop of the upcoming G20 Summit, the G20 Women's Shutdown encourages citizens to observe a day of economic withdrawal and silence for 15 minutes to honor those affected. As the movement garners support from celebrities and citizens alike, it sheds light on the persistent issue of GBV, prompting activists to seek more decisive government action, despite previous declarations of crisis.

South African women's rights groups are calling for nationwide protests to demand that gender-based violence (GBV) be declared a national disaster in a country where attacks on women have become commonplace.

The campaign began with a viral social media movement and will culminate in a nationwide shutdown on Friday, ahead of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

Celebrities, citizens, and nations have shown their solidarity by changing their social media profile pictures to purple – a colour often linked to GBV awareness.

South Africa experiences some of the world's highest levels of GBV, with the rate at which women are killed five times higher than the global average, according to UN Women.

Between January and March this year, 137 women were murdered and more than 1,000 raped, according to South African crime statistics.

Women are being urged to refrain from going to work or school, withdraw from the economy for one day, and lie down for 15 minutes at 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT) in honour of the women murdered in the country. They are also being urged to wear black as a sign of mourning and resistance.

The protest, dubbed the G20 Women's Shutdown, has been organised by Women for Change, which has also been spearheading the online campaign.

Despite previous government declarations of crisis, activists argue that little has changed, calling for more effective enforcement and implementation of existing laws against GBV. Spokesperson Cameron Kasambala emphasized the need for the government to provide transparency and action regarding the legislation designed to protect women.

Many have also resorted to self-defense tactics, with groups like Girls on Fire emerging to empower women through gun ownership as they confront the pervasive fear of violence in their daily lives.