‘Green profile’ campaigns undermine GBV shutdown: Women for Change

GBV advocacy group, Women for Change, has condemned efforts to derail the planned national shutdown with “justice for men” campaigns.

The backlash follows a surge of green profile pictures to counter the purple ones in solidarity with survivors. While some men use the campaign to highlight their issues, the group says doing so under posts about the shutdown risks shifting attention away from the movement’s focus.

Spokesperson Cameron Kasambala, called the attempts deeply concerning.

“…we have witnessed a surge of purple profile pictures, stories, and voices rising from every corner of this country and beyond. That visibility is a declaration. I exist, I matter, and I refuse to be silent.

For many survivors, this movement has created a space where they feel safe enough to speak and to be believed. Not everyone can take to the streets or step away from work, but digital activism has shown its strength. It is real, it is powerful, and it is reshaping the narrative in real time.”

Don’t take men’s mental health awareness seriously but just when women and some men protest against GBV, because daily 9 women are killed in the country due to femicide. Decide to do this just to silence women.

— S.M (@Siyamke1) November 9, 2025

South African women, led by Women for Change, plan a national shutdown on 21 November, a day before the G20 Leaders’ Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.

The protesters are demanding that gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide be declared a national disaster.

On Friday, 21 November 2025, South African women will silence the nation.

We call on all women and members of the LGBTQI+ community across South Africa to refrain from all paid and unpaid work in workplaces, universities, homes, and communities to demonstrate the economic and… pic.twitter.com/9e0F8tXTFE

— Women For Change (@womenforchange5) October 29, 2025

“South Africa positions itself as a stable and secure economy, yet stability cannot be claimed in a nation where 15 women are murdered every single day, when our femicide rate is six times the global average, when we are known as the rape capital of the world,” Kasambala said.

Kasambala added that attempts to derail the conversation undermine the movement’s purpose and divert attention from those most affected. She emphasized that the shutdown is not merely symbolic, but a strategic act of resistance, demanding accountability, protection, and systemic change.

“By withdrawing their labour and visibility, women and queer people will expose the nation’s dependence on their contributions and make their suffering impossible to ignore,” Kasambala said.