South Africa is listed as having one of the highest numbers of reported GBV cases in the world, a statistic that annually becomes more chilling as social media and news articles pop up more frequently on our device screens every single day.
Dubbed as the rape capital of the world, South Africans are proactively pulling up their sleeves and do their bit to aid in the fight against GBV.
The Fight For Good Foundation is South Africa’s first anti-GBV initiative that takes women from victim to warrior in 12 weeks. The NGO specializes in getting women “Passed the Punch” in an intensive, and well researched 12 week programme. “The rationale behind the name is two-fold.
On one-hand we help women get “Passed the Punch” through an individualized 12-week program that combats GBV through the implementation of a set of multi-sectoral responses, and on the other, we implore society to think “Passed the Punch” and to consider in GBV in ways that doesn’t necessarily manifest physically,” commented Co Founder and Media Personality, Nicole Bessick*. Bessick, alongside her Business Partner Kinesh Maharaj, have joined forces and expertise to draw up a unique, accessible solution to benefit victims of abuse in this country.
The Multi Sectoral Programme Response
After rigorous research on the anatomy of abuse cycles, the FFG have designed a multi-sectoral approach to combat GBV, empower the victim and rebuild the ‘legs’ or pillars that are typically disenfranchised as a result of abuse in relationships.
These pillars have been identified as: psychological, financial, legal and physical. This year, the FFG foundation has partnered with experts in these various sectors to provide tangible service to women in need. They include UJ Business School, law firms Barter McKellar, Gunston Strandvik and Vinolia Stewart, as well as the fight gyms Apex Gym and Gracie Bara Illovo.
16 Facts For 16 Days Podcast
This November, powered by the Sport For Social Change Network (SSCN), the FFG launches the podcast in solidarity of the 16 Days of Activism. As a network that acts as an accelerator for NGO’s and CBO’s working in the sector, the SSCN uses sport as a vehicle for social change.
The podcast will consist of 4 bite-sized episodes that part ways with legal knowledge, in ways that are practical and easy to understand. Bessick will interview some of the country’s most sought-after attorneys and legal experts who specialize in the Protection of Women and Children. Each episode will unpack and explain “4 facts” i.e. some of the legal remedies and recourse available to women who are experiencing GBV (domestic violence and protection orders, protecting their children, sexual assault, etc.)
Guests include Nyaradzo Muzembe (Gunston Strandvik), Caleb McKellar (Barter McKellar) and Mikayla Barker (Barter McKellar) from the legal industry.
Our 16 Facts for 16 Days series will have each episode parts ways with 4 facts. 4 episodes make up the series… 4 x 4 = 16… and 16 Facts make up our love letter to women in our country over 16 days.”
In closing, Bessick adds, “Everything about this project is action based and intentional. The rationale behind 12 weeks, for instance. 12 weeks is: the recommended duration of psychotherapy (psychological), 12 weeks makes up a financial quarter (finance), 12 weeks is the amount of time it takes for legal action to be instituted (legal), and 12 weeks is the average length of a fight camp (physical).
The Fight For Good Foundation officially launched this week in Johannesburg, but has a national reach.
