African Bank to help end the scourge of GBV in partnership with Sonke Gender Justice

On 15 November, South Africa will celebrate 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

African Bank has partnered with Sonke Gender Justice to do more in the fight against gender-based violence.

African Bank staff will have the opportunity to learn self-defence in online sessions while Sonke Gender Justice rolls out awareness and educational campaigns in line with the 16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children, which runs from 25 November to 10 December.

The global theme this year is Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect.

Lindiwe Miyambu, African Bank’s group executive said, “Sonke will be assisting us in various ways to not only explore attitudes towards gender, diversity, inclusion, GBV and other related topics but also to create awareness about the causes and how to be sensitised and supportive to victims. This will be done through surveys and videos, for example. The videos will also be available to our customers online, through our website and social media platforms.”

Sonke Gender Justice’s spokesperson Mbuyiselo Botha said,  “As Sonke Gender Justice will concur, this year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign comes at a very unique time. As the world retreated inside homes due to lockdown, reports showed an alarming increase in the already existing pandemic of violence against women and children.

“Locally, the government’s GBV and Femicide Command Centre recorded over 120 000 victims in the first three weeks of lockdown. There is no doubt GBV is a national crisis that must be fought relentlessly, which is why we have launched this in-house campaign. We want to leave our mark and rally our staff, their families, friends and others to help stop the scourge – not only for 16 days but as a way of life.”

The African Bank initiative is being rolled out under the theme, Everybody is Somebody, Everybody is #MADE2BEMORE.