We Will Speak Out South Africa

There is a statistic that sits at the heart of We Will Speak Out SA's work: on any given Sunday, more people in South Africa sit in places of worship than visit health clinics. The reach of the faith sector — across racial, linguistic, and economic lines, in cities and in rural areas where NGOs and government services rarely penetrate — is unmatched by any other civil society constituency. And yet, for most of South Africa's history of GBV, that extraordinary reach has not been deployed in the service of survivors. Places of worship have too often been places of silence, shame, and reinforced patriarchy. WWSO SA exists to change that.

Founded as South Africa's affiliate of the global We Will Speak Out coalition — an international movement responding to sexual violence, operating across more than 20 countries — WWSO SA is registered in Durban at the Diakonia Centre, a long-standing hub of KZN civil society and interfaith social justice work. It holds NGOsource #EDcertified status as equivalent to a US public charity, enabling it to access international philanthropic funding. Its development partners include UN Women, Gender Links (co-funded by the Canadian Government), the South African Government Communications and Information System (GCIS), the National GBVF Response Fund, GIZ, the DGMT, the Solidarity Fund, and ACT Umbumbano.

The Faith Sector Argument

WWSO SA's website articulates the strategic case plainly: "With places of worship in every urban and rural area, these institutions are essential in both prevention and response." A survivor's own voice on the site puts it even more directly: "When you are abused, your spirit is attacked. That is why we need our faith leaders." The theological and moral authority of a pastor, imam, or priest — deployed in the service of survivors, in the language of the tradition they trust — can do something that a government poster or NGO pamphlet cannot. Conversely, when faith leaders are silent, complicit, or theologically misused to justify abuse ("submit to your husband"), the spiritual harm compounds the physical.

WWSO SA's work therefore does not bypass faith communities or treat them as the problem. It engages them as the solution — training, resourcing, and challenging faith leaders from every tradition to become advocates who break the silence, recognise abuse, refer survivors to help, and preach consistently against GBV.

Key Programmes and Initiatives

Training and Equipping Faith Leaders WWSO SA has developed training resources and facilitator guides for faith leaders and congregations, available through its website and the interfaithendgbv.org.za online platform. Training covers: recognising GBV; survivor-sensitive pastoral response; referral pathways; challenging harmful theological interpretations; and becoming a publicly committed anti-GBV voice in the community.

Phephisa Survivors Network A named partner and core constituency of WWSO SA, the Phephisa Survivors Network builds the voice, agency, and collective power of GBV survivors — particularly within faith communities. WWSO SA's first strategic commitment is to support a vibrant, growing, and vocal movement of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Supporting survivor leadership is not peripheral to WWSO SA's work; it is foundational.

Red Chair Campaign An annual campaign during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December), using an empty red chair as a symbol of women who have been silenced, removed, or killed by GBV. Faith communities, schools, and organisations participate by placing a red chair and publicly naming their commitment to ending GBV.

Thursdays in Black South Africa's participation in the global Thursdays in Black campaign — a week-on-week public witness to a world without rape and violence, with participants wearing black every Thursday as a visible statement of solidarity.

Faith Action to End GBV Collective and Interfaith Strategy 2024–2030 WWSO SA serves as the Secretariat of the Faith Action to End GBV Collective — a broad interfaith alliance including Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and other faith bodies committed to GBV prevention and response. In 2024, this collective launched the landmark Interfaith GBV Prevention and Mitigation Strategy 2024–2030 — a seven-year strategic framework for coordinated faith-sector action. The full strategy document is available on the WWSO SA website.

KZN Interfaith GBV Collective In 2025, WWSO SA helped spearhead a new local interfaith structure in KwaZulu-Natal — the KZN Interfaith GBV Collective — launched with the SA Hindu Maha Sabha, the KZN Interreligious Council, and other faith bodies. The KZN collective rallied around the Red Chair Campaign during the 16 Days of Activism in late 2025 and committed to ongoing local action.

Faith Leaders Gender Transformation Programme A programme specifically designed to transform how faith leaders understand, preach, and act on gender justice — addressing not just GBV as a symptom but the patriarchal theological frameworks that enable it.

CRL Commission Engagement In February 2026, WWSO SA engaged with the CRL Rights Commission's launch of a new Section 22 Sub-Committee on GBVF in Sacred Spaces — a formal government mechanism for addressing GBV in religious settings, which WWSO SA has actively advocated for.

Monthly Forums WWSO SA runs regular monthly online forums (Zoom) bringing together faith leaders, survivors, advocates, and researchers to share learning, discuss challenges, and strengthen the movement.

Note for Survivors

WWSO SA is not a crisis organisation and does not provide shelter, counselling, or emergency services. Survivors in need of immediate support should contact the GBV Command Centre (0800 428 428, toll-free, 24/7) or the National Shelter Helpline (0800 001 005, toll-free, 24/7). However, WWSO SA is an important resource for survivors who want to engage with faith communities or faith leaders about their experience, who are interested in joining or supporting the Phephisa Survivors Network, or who want to access interfaith resources on GBV, healing, and theological responses to abuse.

We Will Speak Out SA: 11 Diakonia Centre, 20 Diakonia Avenue, Durban, KZN, 4001. Phone: +27 72 453 7502 / +27 84 581 0622. Email: coordinator@wwsosa.org.za. Website: wwsosa.org.za. Interfaith platform: interfaithendgbv.org.za. Facebook: @WeWillSpeakOutSA. Instagram: @wewillspeakout.