South African Women Organize Nationwide 'Purple Protest' Against Gender Violence

Sat Nov 22 2025 07:07:08 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a bold movement to address the rampant gender-based violence in South Africa, women's rights groups are calling for a nationwide protest, urging for these acts to be declared a national disaster. The initiative has drawn widespread support, with participants donning purple and advocating for change ahead of the G20 Summit.

Women in South Africa are mobilizing for a nationwide 'purple protest' calling for gender-based violence to be recognized as a national disaster. . The protest, coinciding with the G20 Summit, encourages participants to avoid work, engage in moments of silence, and wear purple in solidarity. Despite governmental resistance, massive support is seen through social media and notable figures.

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.

On Friday, 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 15 women who are murdered in the country every day. The lie downs are happening in 15 locations across South Africa, including major cities such as Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg.

Allies in Eswatini, Kenya, and Namibia have also expressed their support for the protest and say they will join in. 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.

A South African professor who asked to remain anonymous has emphasized the protest's significance, indicating that it was essential to address the issue of GBV in their communities.

Despite the government declaring GBV a national crisis in 2019, activists argue that little has changed, calling on officials to take stronger and more transparent actions. Women's rights advocate Cameron Kasambala expressed frustration about the lack of implementation of laws designed to combat GBV.

Many have taken matters into their own hands by forming groups like Girls on Fire, encouraging women to learn self-defence and gun ownership as a means of protection in a society fraught with violence against women.

The G20 Women's Shutdown is seen not just as a protest but as a pivotal moment to demand action and change in the fight against gender-based violence in South Africa, with widespread participation and support expected.