SA Urged to Harness Media Power to Transform Cultural Norms and End GBVF

In her keynote address, Chikunga emphasised that the content produced across television, radio, streaming platforms, film, advertising and news media shapes public consciousness more powerfully than any policy directive.

South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Dr Sindisiwe Chikunga, has issued a clarion call to the country’s media, entertainment and creative industries to use their cultural influence to help dismantle the deep-rooted social norms driving gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). Speaking at the national 2025 launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, held at Gallagher Convention Centre, Chikunga said the storytelling power of these sectors could become one of the nation’s strongest tools in changing harmful attitudes.

She reminded the country that the annual 16 Days campaign must evolve from symbolic observance to a sustained, society-wide movement for accountability, prevention, and urgent action against GBVF.

Media and Creative Industries Called to “Flip the Script”

In her keynote address, Chikunga emphasised that the content produced across television, radio, streaming platforms, film, advertising and news media shapes public consciousness more powerfully than any policy directive.

“Through drama, current affairs or advertising, this sector has the influence to flip the script—to end a culture that normalises violence and replace it with one that normalises dignity, consent, care and accountability,” she said.

The 2025 campaign theme, “Letsema: Men, Women, Boys and Girls Working Together to End GBVF”, places deliberate focus on collaboration, while the sub-theme highlights the critical role of arts, media and film in shifting public attitudes.

Chikunga said the country is at an inflection point. South Africa’s leadership at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg—where global leaders reaffirmed commitments to end violence against women and to expand women’s economic participation—must now translate into bold domestic action.

A Picture of a Nation in Crisis

Drawing from key research, including the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)-led GBVF Prevalence Study, the Minister outlined disturbing statistics that demonstrate the scale of the crisis:

• 33.1% of women and girls have experienced physical violence in their lifetime.

• 27% have experienced physical or sexual violence by a non-partner since age 15.

• 7.9% of ever-partnered women have survived sexual violence from a partner.

• 20.5% of ever-partnered men admitted to perpetrating intimate partner violence.

• SAPS continues to record tens of thousands of sexual offences each year, with spikes linked to weekends, payday periods and alcohol-concentrated communities.

Chikunga warned that sensationalist reporting, harmful tropes and glamorised violent masculinity in entertainment normalise aggression and undermine national efforts to protect women and children.

“History tells us that stories shape what society sees as normal, possible and acceptable. They influence beliefs, law-making, relationships, markets and everyday behaviour,” she said.

Reviewing Progress: NSP Achievements and Gaps

The Minister officially launched the Five-Year Review of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF, highlighting notable gains:

• 66 Thuthuzela Care Centres operational nationwide.

• Over 1 100 victim-friendly rooms and 1 200+ dedicated GBVF desks established within SAPS.

• Cleared DNA backlog, enabling prioritisation of more than 52 000 GBVF-related cases.

• Expansion of district and municipal GBVF Rapid Response Teams.

• Increased support for shelters, psychosocial services and prevention programmes through the GBVF Response Fund.

However, she stressed that the scale of the crisis still far outpaces the response.

“With GBVF declared a national crisis by the President, our next steps must reflect emergency-level coordination, urgency, and funding. Partial progress is not enough,” she warned.

A Direct Challenge to South Africa’s Storytellers

Chikunga issued one of her most forceful appeals yet to the country’s editors, broadcasters, producers, writers, actors, influencers and advertising executives.

“Only you, the storytellers of this country, can change the cultural climate in which violence becomes thinkable,” she said.

She proposed several industry-wide reforms, including:

• A GBVF Portrayal and Editorial Code for ethical representation.

• Stronger watershed controls and responsible advert placement.

• Mandatory harm assessments for high-impact content.

• Safer workplaces with real whistle-blower protections.

• Zero tolerance for digital abuse, deepfakes, and non-consensual imagery.

• Storylines that champion consent, healthy masculinity, respect, and accountability.

Chikunga argued that a single well-crafted storyline can shift public opinion faster than legislation.

“If we change what we make, we will change what we mirror. And if we change what we mirror, we will change what we become,” she said.

A Call to Society: Responsibility Beyond Government

The Minister concluded by urging all South Africans—teachers, faith leaders, parents, young people and especially men and boys—to model dignity, respect and accountability in their daily interactions. Cultural transformation, she said, must begin in homes, schools, workplaces and online spaces.

She honoured survivors whose courage continues to inform government reforms, noting that real success will be measured by how swiftly and compassionately survivors access justice.

The event concluded with the official opening of the 2025 16 Days of Activism campaign and the launch of the Five-Year Review of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, marking a renewed commitment to ending one of South Africa’s most urgent human rights crises.