THURSDAYS IN BLACK

1. THURSDAYS IN BLACK Towards a World Without Rape and Violence

2. Why now? In India a woman dies every hour in disputes over how much her family has paid in dowry to the groom for her marriage. http://www.news24.com/World/News/India-1-woman-killed-per-hour-over-dowry-20130903 Japanese “Comic Book” “Comic Hero” At least 1 in every 3 women around the world has been beaten, abused, or coerced into sex during her lifetime. Men and boys also experience sexual violence, increasingly documented in conflict countries and especially when gender identity conflicts with gender norms. http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/component/docman/doc_view/442-gbv-fact-sheetpdf

3. “Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. And it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development, and peace.” Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations (“A World Free of Violence Against Women” 8 March 1999)

4. Gender based violence might be based on Biological Sex Gender Gender Identity Sexual Orientation

5. Usually based on visible physical / anatomical structures. Biological sex (What do I look like) Male Female Intersex Hormonal Chromosomal Developmental

6. Cultural categories, symbols, meanings or practices structuring an individual's role in society. At least five constructs or components that also link to identities: Femininity; Masculinity; Transgendered (LGBT) Androgynies / Inter-sexed Unsexed / Un-gendered. Gender

7. Gender identity (Who am I) Who am I / Who do I understand myself as Biological and Gender alignment. Transgender Male in Male Body Female in Female Body Female in Male Body Male in Female Body Fluid May choose or want Sexual Reassignment Surgery

8. Sexual orientation (Who do I love) An enduring personal quality that inclines people to feel romantic or sexual attraction to persons of the opposite sex, the same sex, neither sex or to both sexes. Bi- Hetero- Homo- A-

9. Gender-based violence Gender-based violence (GBV) is any harm / action that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that has a negative impact on the physical or psychological health, development, and identity of the person.

10. types of Gender Based Violence

11. Physical Health Violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer. And its toll on women's health surpasses that of traffic accidents and malaria combined. World Health Organization. (2005) “WHO Multi - Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women: Initial Results on Prevalence, Health Outcomes and Women’s Responses.” Sexual abuse as a child is associated with higher rates of sexual risk-taking (such as first sex at an early age, multiple partners and unprotected sex), substance use, and additional victimization. Each of these behaviours increases risks of health problems. http://www.rhrc.org/rhr_basics/gbvkeymessages.html Main AREAS OF Consequence

12. 2. Emotional, social and psychological health. • Survivors of sexual assault are; - 3 x more likely to suffer from depression, - 6 x more likely to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, - 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, - 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, and - 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide. • Krug EG et al., eds. (2002) World report on violence and health. Geneva: World Health Organization. • 3. Legal / Justice system • Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence — yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned. • UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 8 March 2007

13. 4. Community safety and security. In India on average a woman dies every hour in disputes over how much her family has paid in dowry to the groom for her marriage. http://www.news24.com/World/News/India-1-woman-killed-per-hour-over-dowry- 20130903 5. Economic Domestic and sexual violence in the United Kingdom costs the country £5.7 billion per year. In the United States, the health care cost of intimate partner rape, physical assault and stalking totals $5.8 billion each year., nearly $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health care services. http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/component/docman/doc_view/442-gbv-fact-sheetpdf & 2003 Report by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

14. A few More facts (centre for Women’s Global Leadership Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) • An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM). • More than 250 cases of rape in several camps were reported in the first 150 days after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. • Partner rape has been reported by 6% of women from Serbia and Montenegro, 46% of women from provincial Bangladesh, and 59% of women in Ethiopia. • In the DRC, it is believed that around 200,000 women and girls have been raped since 1998. Estimates of the total number of women subjected to sexual violence during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1990s vary from 14,000 to 50,000.

15. A few More facts (continued)(centre for Women’s Global Leadership Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) The roots of gender-based violence (GBV) lie in power inequities based on gender roles, which are marked by the domination of men and the subordination of women. Having a small arm in the home increases the overall risk of someone in the home being murdered by 41%; for women the risk was nearly tripled.

16. What is the general response? VIDEO: Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW30WslahMc POWA AD

17. alternatives

18. Background to Thursdays in Black Mothers of the Disappeared in Argentina in the (1970’s) Black Sash South Africa Death Camps in war torn Bosnia Women who oppose Israeli occupation World Council of Churches – peaceful protest against rape and violence (1980’s) South Africa – DIAKONA as part of 16 days of activism (2008)

19. Pledge By wearing Black and a Badge on Thursdays I stand: In protest against systems and societies that encourage violence in any form. In solidarity with 1 in 4 women worldwide who face violence in their lives. In mourning for men, women and children who are harmed and killed in sexual violence. For awareness and information about the challenges of GBV. In the hope that a different reality is possible. Sign the pledge on-line at www.thursdaysinblack.co.za

20. Practical Responses (What can we do?) Bible study / Healthy Theology Thursdays in Black Address Patriarchy Talk about it Awareness ER Sheet Policy NSP* Self Family Church Organisation Community *National Strategic Plan to end Gender Based Violence

21. Information for an Emergency Response Sheet Find out ……. How to obtain a Protection Order. Identify Gender / Violence sensitive Police stations. How to report rape. Identify Health Care services for abuse victims. How / Where to obtain Post Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV.

22. A different reality is possible Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

23. Thursdays In Black: PO Box 1417 Fontainebleau 2032 Gauteng South Africa www.thursdaysinblack.co.za Telephone : +27 011 796 6830 For more information or to order Bookmarks or Badges info@thursdaysinblack.co.za