South Africa has classified violence against women a national disaster following an online campaign culminating in countrywide protests on Friday.Women were urged to “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 females who are murdered in the country every day.The state had refused to make the categorisation but changed tack after “evaluating the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence”.South Africa experiences some of the world’s highest levels of gender-based violence (GBV), with the rate at which women are killed five times higher than the global average, according to UN Women. Some women who feel the government is not doing enough have taken matters into their own hands.Lynette Oxeley founded Girls on Fire to help women protect themselves through gun ownership. It is legal to own a firearm in South Africa for self-defence if a person has a valid licence.Most of the women in her group have been raped, attacked, robbed, or experienced some level of violence.
Prudence joined the group after she was raped in 2022.”I said: ‘No’. I screamed, I cried but he didn’t take no for an answer,” she told the BBC.Trying to find justice was an “uphill battle” as her case was withdrawn because her rape kit – the DNA they take after the crime – was lost.It isn’t a “police problem, it is a nation problem,” she said.Although the women are trained to shoot firearms, Ms Oxeley said using a gun was a “last resort”.”It’s not about actually defending yourself with a firearm. I want ladies to change what they think about themselves. Stop being silent,” she said.”Even if you do not win the fight, at least you are fighting back.”
