- South Africa opens the 16 Days of Activism 2025 campaign with a call for unity and urgency, along with cultural change.
- Deputy Minister Nel warns that the constitutional promise remains unfulfilled while women and children live in fear.
- The campaign urges the film, arts and media sectors to shift harmful norms and help prevent GBVF.
The national launch of 16 Days of Activism 2025 at Gallagher Estate began with a moment that set the tone for the entire campaign.
Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister Andries Nel invited the audience to rise and recite the Preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. This recitation was meant to anchor the fight against gender-based violence and femicide in the country’s highest values.
Nel said the Preamble “reminds us of the society we are called to build, a society grounded in equality, dignity, justice and the protection of human rights”. He emphasised that these principles are not symbolic. They are the foundation of the national response to violence, he said.
He warned that when violence persists, the constitutional promise remains unfulfilled. “When women and children live in fear, South African democracy is weakened.” He added that ending GBVF is both a moral and a constitutional responsibility, and this duty belongs to every person who calls South Africa home.
He also conveyed greetings from Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, explaining that she had just returned from the International Conference on Justice in Riyadh and was with the audience in spirit.
Violence remains one of South Africa’s gravest crises
Nel confronted the reality of violence with clarity. He said one in three women in South Africa experiences physical violence, and one in four faces intimate partner violence. He stressed that these figures represent real lives. Behind every number is a person whose safety and potential have been compromised.
He told the audience that South Africa cannot claim freedom when so many live violence as a constant shadow. The country cannot claim equality while harm is normalised and many survivors feel silenced. He said the Constitution cannot be fully realised while homes, schools, workplaces and communities remain unsafe for women and children.
Using creativity to change culture
This year’s theme, Rewriting the Script Harnessing Film, Arts and Media to Prevent GBVF, places the creative industries at the centre of the prevention strategy for 16 Days of Activism 2025. Nel said stories shape how society sees itself. They shape behaviour, influence norms and can either entrench inequality or challenge it.
He said the law can punish violence, but stories can prevent it. He urged creators to understand the power they hold. Through film, television, music, theatre, writing and digital media, the creative sector can influence public awareness in ways that policies alone cannot.
He told creative professionals in the room that they hold the pen. They shape narratives that shape behaviour, and they must use that power for healing and justice.
A whole of society fight
Nel acknowledged that government continues to strengthen laws, institutions and services through the National Strategic Plan, Thuthuzela Care Centres and specialised Sexual Offences Courts. However, he said government cannot end GBVF alone. A whole of society approach is essential, one in which communities, families and civil society refuse to remain silent.
He repeated a warning that silence is complicity and praised the researchers, activists, creatives, industry leaders and public servants who give the campaign depth and impact. Their work ensures that survivors are heard and that creativity becomes a force for justice and healing.
A call to rewrite the national story
Nel closed with a call rooted in hope and constitutional vision. He urged South Africans to build a society where every woman and every child can walk freely, live safely and realise their full potential.
He ended with a powerful commitment. Together, South Africans must rewrite the script from fear to freedom, from silence to dignity, and from violence to hope.
“Law can punish violence, but stories can prevent it.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared GBVF as a national crisis during the G20 Social Summit held on 20 November 2025 in Ekurhuleni. The announcement was welcomed by Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Bridget Masango.
“The President’s recognition of GBVF as a national crisis must be a catalyst for real action. We need full and urgent implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, along with tougher policies that deter perpetrators and ensure harsh consequences for those who continue to harm vulnerable citizens,” Masango said.
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