November Newsletter

Show Your Support for 16 Days of Activism

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an awareness campaign that runs annually from 25 November to 10 December. This campaign aims to spread awareness about gender-based violence, abuse and its negative impact on society.

Objectives of the 16 Days campaign

The South African Government lists the following objectives of this year’s 16 Days campaign:

Focus on gender-based violence as a societal issue, as opposed to a Government or criminal justice system issue.
Expand accountability to include all Government clusters, not only the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster.
Encourage all South Africans to take part in the fight to eradicate violence against women and children.
Mobilise communities to take responsibility for preventing violence against women and children.

How to Get Involved

Volunteer: Contribute some of your time and energy to helping out at a charity, NGO or community group in your area, which focuses on empowering women or protecting children.
Donate: Give a monetary donation to a local organisation working against gender-based violence and child abuse, such as the Foundation for Human Rights.
Wear your ribbon: Buy and wear an official white ribbon, to show your support for the International Day of the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November. The white ribbon symbolises peace and non-violence.
Educate yourself: Read up on how the 16 Days of No Violence originated, or visit the UN Women Network online, to find out more about the issues facing women in today’s society.
Act as a mentor or role model: Get involved in a programme that allows you to mentor and support girls and young women.
Turn to LifeAssist. Become a survivor of abuse – or speak out if you suspect abuse. LifeAssist can provide you with the information and guidance you need. Call LifeAssist on your dedicated Employee Wellbeing number.

This year, keep a lookout for events in your city that will give you a chance to show your support for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Sources

SA Government – 16 Days of Activism. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.za/16DaysofActivism2018

Promoting 16 Days of Activism at Work

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign will run from 25 November to 10 December this year. The theme for 2018 is Orange the World: #HearMeToo. 16 Days of Activism focuses mainly on protecting women [...]

Consumer Tip

The festive season is a wonderful time of year to celebrate, but it’s important to avoid overtaxing yourself when it comes to seasonal spending. This December, don’t go into debt trying to show your love with overpriced gifts. Set a budget and stick to it, and don’t fall for in-store promotions like “pay now, buy later” offers that encourage more debt.

Discuss holiday plans with your family beforehand, and decide what you’re going to spend on entertainment and gifts. You might decide that experiences and quality time are more important to you than new material items.

Keep track of what you spend and how much you have left. Leave the credit cards and store cards at home. Most importantly, focus on spending time with the people you love, rather than spending money at the mall.

Caring Families

With so many demands on our time today, it can be challenging to spend time as a family. Taking time out of your hectic schedule to eat together is a healthy way to spend structured family time and encourage good eating habits.

Your children learn by watching you. If they see that you have a healthy relationship with food, and approach mealtimes as a positive experience, they are more likely to develop their own healthy relationship with food as they get older.

Sitting down at the dinner table together also gives you time to regroup and catch up after a busy day at work and school. This is the perfect time to share, laugh and enjoy special moments with the people you love.