South African Women Mobilize for Purple Protest Against Gender Violence

Fri Nov 21 2025 15:49:21 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Amidst escalating gender-based violence in South Africa, women's rights groups are leading a powerful protest, urging the government to declare GBV a national disaster. The multi-city event coincides with the G20 Summit, amplifying calls for urgent action.

Women's rights activists in South Africa are calling for a nationwide protest, dubbed the 'G20 Women's Shutdown', demanding that gender-based violence be declared a national disaster. Initiated through a viral social media campaign, the protest garners support from celebrities and citizens who are encouraged to wear purple and partake in symbolic actions, including a moment of silence for the daily victims of violence against women.

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.

The protest, dubbed the G20 Women's Shutdown, has been organised by Women for Change, which has also been spearheading the online campaign. Activists have also created an online petition signed by over a million people, calling for the government to take an even tougher stance against GBV.

Despite past declarations, activists assert that little has changed and demand more decisive government action to combat the scourge of violence against women. Celebrities and activists have rallied behind this movement, emphasizing the urgency and significance of prioritizing safety for women in South Africa.