From 25 November to 10 December we as South Africans took hands with the rest of the world to take part in the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign. The campaign, which is held annually, commenced on the International Day of No Violence Against Women and will end on International Human Rights Day.

The North-West University (NWU) is proud of its commitment to contributing to putting an end to gender-based violence (GBV). Through our support service like NWU Wellness and entities such as the NWU Law Clinic we hope to help shape a future in which GBV is significantly less prominent.

Anyone, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or educational background, can experience any form of gender-based violence. Individuals who experience violence may experience emotional, mental, physical and sexual health problems. Therefore, NWU Wellness arranged a series of GBV webinar sessions in 2022. These sessions focused on understanding the causes of GBV as well as its impact. They further served to promote healthy behaviours that could prevent and manage gender-based violence.

In 2021, the NWU Council adopted an extensive and inclusive GBV prevention policy that is in line with the university’s ethic of care. The purpose of this policy is to regulate the handling of GBV within the university, to create an enabling environment to inform and provide support to victims of and monitor GBV within the NWU, to promote the safety of all employees and students, and to prevent instances of GBV. This policy also addresses all forms of GBV and recognises that GBV affects not only women but people of all genders.

The NWU also adopted a standard operating procedure with a view to providing support to survivors of GBV.

By working together – and acknowledging that GBV is a problem endemic to our society – we can make a difference to the too many lives afflicted by GBV. We can always do more, and it all starts here.