As an act of solidarity with women who speak out against sexual violence Rhodes has for the past four years held a “silent protest”. This year, women and men participating in the protest taking place on 23 April will be silenced by being gagged for the entire day without food or water.
The Rhodes silent protest campaign will be led by the One In Nine Campaign which was established in February 2006 at the start of the rape trial of Jacob Zuma, to ensure the expression of solidarity with the woman in that trial, as well as other women who speak out about rape and sexual violence.
“The 'Sexual Violence = Silence' protest has grown steadily every year and 2010 promises to be the largest one to date, with over 800 people signed up currently. We expect as many as 1000 staff members and students to participate. The protest has grown as rape survivors have become more vocal about their experiences," said Larissa Klazinga, the event organiser in the Dean of Students office.
A total of 580 silent participants will be gagged all day while wearing T-shirts with 'sexual violence = silence' on the front with an explanation printed on the back. A total of 35 women survivors will wear T-shirts with 'rape survivor' on the front and an explanation on the back.
This year 220 men will participate, wearing T-shirts with 'solidarity with women who speak out' on the front and an explanation on the back.
A member of last year’s protest said expressing her feelings about the day, “I expected to feel ashamed... though on the day of the protest I did not feel judged, I felt brave. For the first time my rape was no longer making me want to run and hide, instead I wanted to stand up and be seen. I was proud that I was the one in the nine who had spoken out..."
Government statistics report that 55 000 women are raped in SA annually. Only 4% of the reported rape cases are successfully prosecuted.
According to Larissa, ”A Medical Research Council study in 2005 indicated that only 1 in 9 women raped in South African reported their rape to the SAPS, which means that nearly half a million women are raped annually in our country.
“These statistics are unacceptable and highlight the serious need for reform of the institutional framework for responding to women who speak out and has been the motivating factor behind these protests.”
All Staff and Students are invited and encourage to sign up for the Silent Protest 2010, and can do so online on the RUconnected page at: http://ruconnected.ru.ac.za/course/view.php?id=1988
Sign-up closes on Friday 26 March.