IN PICTURES: Silent Lie-Down Sweeps SA as GBV Declared a National Disaster

South Africa Declares Gender-Based Violence A National Disaster After Nationwide Protests

Women lie down for 15 minutes, social media rallies in purple as government takes action against femicide

Video. South African women protest femicide with powerful demonstration

Video. Johannesburg saw a powerful protest against gender-based violence, with women marking the 15 daily femicides. The government later declared it a national disaster.

IN PICTURES: Silent lie-down sweeps SA as GBV declared a national disaster

Women, children and activists stretched themselves out on cold pavements and city squares on Friday, taking part in a silent 15-minute lie-down and a march held in towns and cities across SA to demand an end to gender-based violence. And through the lenses of IOL’s cameramen, the quiet power of that moment was captured in a series of striking images.

PICS & VIDEOS: Women across South Africa stage silent standstill to demand action on GBVF

Dressed in black, participants lay down for 15 minutes at 12pm on Friday, representing the 15 women killed daily in the country.

South African Women Stage Lie-Down Protest Against Gender-Based ...

Video. South African women protest femicide with powerful demonstration

Hundreds of women dressed in black lay down in a Johannesburg park on Friday, a day before the G20 summit, to mark the 15 women killed daily by gender based violence in South Africa. The country promotes a progressive gender agenda at the G20, yet U.N. Women says its femicide rate is five times the global average. The 15 minute protest, held across several cities, drew activists, celebrities and survivors. Many wept as they lay on the ground, so…