Survivor-leaders call for global action against GBV
The world is facing a crisis of humanity, and the future of the fight against gender-based violence lies in the hands of survivors themselves. This was the powerful message from a panel of global activists at the opening of the 8th Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forum. The conference, which kicked off in Cape Town on this week, brought together 1500 researchers and activists from 113 countries at a time when violence against women, children and marginalised communities is reaching crisis levels around the world.
The SVRI Forum 2024 plenary session, moderated by Emma Fulu of the Equality Institute, brought together three trailblazing activists: Tarana Burke, founder of the global me too. movement; Kolbassia Haoussou, MBE, torture survivor and Director of Survivor Leadership and Influencing at Freedom from Torture; and Jac sm Kee, co-founder of the Numun Fund, a feminist tech initiative.
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A crisis of humanity
Tarana Burke opened the discussion by painting a stark picture of the current global moment. “The world has changed rapidly in the last 20 years and human development hasn’t kept up,” she explained. “Whenever there’s a crisis of humanity, women, girls, and the most vulnerable suffer the most. Laws and policies are improving, but unless there’s a cultural shift in how we treat one another, no amount of legislation will end violence.”
Burke, who catapulted the me too. movement into the global spotlight, says that while progress has been met with fierce resistance and backlash, this is not a sign of failure: “I believe it gets worse before it gets better. Historically when you have moments of crisis, it’s often because we’re on the cusp of something new — a different world or reality. The world can’t bear the weight of this crisis much longer, so a dramatic shift must come.”
These moments of crises, she says, are often the precursors to transformation. “It’s the darkest before the dawn,” Fulu agreed.
Survivors as leaders, not victims
Drawing from his experiences of torture, Kolbassia Haoussou’s message focused on the power of survivors to lead systemic change. “It’s not enough to hear their stories; we need to involve them in decision-making,” he said.”I think about how decisions are often made for survivors, but not with them. To prevent future violence, we must understand the impact of what’s already been done. Survivors should not just be consulted—they should lead.”
Haoussou’s work with the “Survivors Speak Out” network challenges the systems that often treat survivors as helpless victims, instead placing them at the heart of policymaking and advocacy. “For me, it’s about shifting the culture from seeing survivors as helpless victims to recognising them as leaders and experts in the fight against sexual violence and torture.”
Tech: Beyond problems and solutions
When talking about technology as a facilitator of or solution against violence, Jac sm Kee warned against seeing tech as merely a tool — whether for good or harm: “Technology is not neutral. The governance structures, algorithms and platforms all reflect the same power imbalances that exist offline. It’s no accident that women, queer people, and marginalised communities face violence the moment they step into public digital spaces. These spaces weren’t designed for us.”
Instead, technology should be seen as an infrastructure that shapes political power, relationships and access to resources. For this reason, survivors, women and other marginalised people must be part of decision-making processes when it comes to the creation and governance of technology.
This is what Kee’s feminist tech initiative, the Numun Fund, aims to do: give marginalised voices the resources they need to shape the digital world in ways that reflect their realities.
A collective movement; a moment for change
The session saw a central theme emerge and weave itself through the very fabric of the SVRI Forum 2024: the importance of collective action. The panel reminded those in attendance that the fight against gender-based violence is not a battle that survivors can or must fight alone. “The issues we’re tackling — GBV, climate change, wars, the rise of authoritarianism — are all interconnected,” Fulu says.
And while the fight against gender-based violence is far from over, it is a fight that can be won. “We come to the work because we are the work. We are not just victims; we are the people who will change the world,” Burke said in her closing remarks. “But we can’t wait for someone to give us power. We have to take it. And together, we can. There are millions of survivors around the world, organising in every space imaginable.”
And as the speakers made clear, the future of this movement lies in their hands — and in the hands of everyone willing to stand alongside them.
The SVRI Forum is taking place from 21-25 October 2024 at the CTICC in Cape Town. www.svriforum2024.org