A culture of silence

Did you know?  In South Africa, there is only one public-sector social worker allocated for every 23,000 learners.

This staggering gap leaves countless youths without vital psychosocial support. To see how this challenge is being met on the ground, the GBVF Response Fund visited our team at Cloetesville High School in Stellenbosch.

As we step into Women’s Month, we are reminded that building a safer society, free from gender-based violence and femicide, requires us to address trauma at a grassroots level. Our time with the team left us with two profound lessons for this fight:

1️⃣ We must break the culture of silence. The inability to speak out keeps cycles of trauma alive. Healing begins when we create safe, non-judgmental spaces that empower vulnerable individuals to find their voices.

2️⃣ We must look deeper. Behaviour is often a form of communication. Instead of rushing to cast blame, true healing starts when we dig down to find and address the root causes of that behaviour.