We are proud to introduce our ninth voice in our “16 Voices in 16 Days” Campaign against gender-based violence!
Lusyomo Simtale is a representative of Girls Against Oppression, a network of women who have come together to provide South African based resources for gender-based violence and more online. They are incredible thought leaders who have been educating and empowering people with vital knowledge.
The Justice Desk believes in the power of the everyday person, especially in their ability to create lasting, impactful and effective change in their communities! Through this campaign, we hope to both raise awareness to #GBV, but also to unite and inspire others in order to take action within their own spaces. Ending GBV is not the fight of some, but of us all!
Let us never forget to recognise the incredible power that we as South Africans have, when we come together, to make a change.
By amplifying these 16 remarkable changemakers, we hope to inspire YOU in contributing YOUR own thoughts and voice, as we unite in solidarity in the important fight against gender-based violence.
"I was given birth to by an African woman, I was raised by African women, I am an African woman – I will always fight for African women. Gender-based violence is a pandemic in and of itself. The idea that because someone sees your gender as inferior, that they have an entitlement to your body is a tale as old as time. Activism is not just about talk – it’s about being willing to take that walk, that journey to see an equitable and holistic sense of justice.
In the case of Girls Against Oppression the need to educate people about GBV does not just come from a place of wanting to raise awareness, it is an act of defiance. We reject gendered- violence, we reject complacency, and we reject a world where not everyone can have their bodies respected as their own. We can no longer be complacent to the disease that is GBV, we need to fight against it and we need to fight against it now. It is not good enough to mourn angels when they’ve fallen - the lives that have been lost are so much more than just a hashtag!
Women are dying, queer folk are dying, children are dying – yet globally we still continue to see these rates rise. Albeit we need so much more than 16 days, this year during this campaign it is imperative that we do not lose hope and stamina; we have no time and no choice but to fight against the sickness that is GBV."
Lusyomo Simatele
Representative of Girls Against Oppression
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