Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Advocacy Programme

The Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Advocacy Programme seeks to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) through education, advocacy, community mobilization, stakeholder collaboration, and policy engagement. The programme aims to create safer communities where women, girls, children, young people, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups can live free from violence, discrimination, abuse, and exploitation.

TYHSA implements this programme through a range of community-based and institutional interventions, including awareness campaigns, educational workshops, community dialogues, stakeholder engagement sessions, public discussions, media advocacy, and capacity-building initiatives. We regularly host community dialogues that bring together community members, survivors, traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, youth groups, and local stakeholders to discuss the root causes of Gender-Based Violence and identify practical solutions to address it. These dialogues create safe spaces for learning, reflection, and collective action.

The programme works across multiple levels of society, from grassroots community structures to provincial, national, and international stakeholders. At community level, TYHSA collaborates with schools, community-based organisations, traditional leadership structures, youth groups, ward committees, Local AIDS Councils, Victim Empowerment Forums, Community Policing Forums, and other local structures. At government level, we engage with departments responsible for social development, health, education, justice, police services, and local government to strengthen coordinated responses to GBV.

TYHSA also works closely with Chapter 9 Institutions and human rights bodies, including the Commission for Gender Equality and the South African Human Rights Commission, to promote human rights, gender equality, accountability, and social justice. Through these partnerships, we contribute to awareness raising, advocacy initiatives, policy discussions, and efforts aimed at protecting the rights of women, children, young people, LGBTQI+ persons, and other vulnerable groups.

In addition, TYHSA collaborates with civil society organisations, advocacy networks, development partners, academic institutions, and international stakeholders working in the fields of gender equality, human rights, public health, and social development. These partnerships strengthen knowledge sharing, resource mobilization, community engagement, and collective advocacy efforts.

A key focus of the programme is supporting the implementation of South Africa's National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide at local level. TYHSA works with communities and stakeholders to localize the NSP-GBVF, strengthen community-led responses, build the capacity of local structures, and promote coordinated action to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence.

Through education, advocacy, community engagement, and strategic partnerships, the programme seeks to challenge harmful social norms, promote gender equality, strengthen community accountability, support survivors, and contribute towards building safer, more inclusive, and violence-free communities.

Key Activities

• Community awareness campaigns and outreach programmes
• Gender-Based Violence prevention workshops
• Community and stakeholder dialogues
• School-based GBV awareness sessions
• Human rights and gender equality education
• Advocacy campaigns and media engagement
• Stakeholder coordination and partnership building
• NSP-GBVF localization and implementation support
• Capacity building for community structures and leaders
• Referrals and support pathways for survivors
• Engagement with Chapter 9 Institutions and human rights bodies
• Public commemorations and advocacy events

Target Beneficiaries

• Women and girls
• Children and adolescents
• Young men and boys
• Survivors of Gender-Based Violence
• Persons with disabilities
• LGBTQI+ individuals
• Community leaders and traditional leaders
• Schools and educational institutions
• Community structures and civil society organisations
• Communities affected by violence and inequality