Women For Change

What WFC Does

Survivor Support and Guidance. Walter personally answers between 50 and 150 messages every single day from South African women who have experienced abuse and need help to get justice, feel safe, or get back on their feet. With limited access to in-person support, especially in areas without GBV organisations, women have turned to WFC's social media channels as a trusted first point of contact. WFC provides guidance on options, referrals to relevant services, and the sustained presence of someone who believes them and takes their situation seriously.

Public Awareness and Education. WFC publishes regular trauma-informed, survivor-centred content across all platforms: red flags of abusive relationships, what domestic violence looks like beyond physical assault, how to support someone in danger, what to do after sexual violence, and critical GBV statistics that make the scale of the crisis impossible to ignore. In 2023/24: 5,578 women murdered (a 33.8% increase year-on-year); 42,569 rape cases reported; 63,054 serious assaults on women. South Africa's femicide rate is six times the global average.

Systemic Advocacy and Accountability. WFC monitors and publicly challenges parole hearings and releases of convicted perpetrators of GBVF, demanding accountability and transparency in a system that too often grants parole quietly and without consequence. WFC has been vocal about the inaccessibility of the National Register for Sex Offenders, advocating for a public-access model that would allow parents, employers, and communities to protect themselves. WFC has participated in National Dialogues on GBVF, partnered with major South African brands on awareness campaigns, and collaborated with international funders including the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

The National Disaster Campaign and G20 Women's Shutdown. In January 2025, WFC launched the largest GBV petition in South African history — born from grief, anger, and survivor voices. The campaign surpassed one million signatures, ignited the worldwide Purple Movement, and culminated in the G20 Women's Shutdown on 21 November 2025: a national call for women, girls, and LGBTQI+ persons to withdraw from paid and unpaid labour, refrain from spending, and join a 15-minute nationwide silent lie-down at 12pm — one minute for every woman murdered each day in South Africa. The collective pressure of this campaign contributed directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa declaring GBVF a National Disaster on 20 November 2025 — described as one of the most significant victories for women and children in South Africa.

Technology and Innovation. WFC has engaged with conversations about innovative safety technology and digital tools for survivors, and actively promotes organisations building in this space through its Charities directory.

Charities Directory. The WFC website maintains a curated directory of vetted GBV charities at womenforchange.co.za/charities — including Rape Crisis, TEARS Foundation, and The Safe House — making it a useful second-tier resource for survivors who arrive at WFC's platforms first and need specialised services.

Funding and Independence

WFC receives no government funding and operates solely on community and donor support. The absence of government backing is deliberate: it preserves WFC's independence to criticise, challenge, and hold the state accountable — and it makes the organisation's achievements all the more remarkable.

Relevance to GBV Survivors

For a survivor-facing website, Women for Change occupies a unique and important category: it is not a shelter or a hotline, but it is one of the most credible, accessible, and responsive first-contact points that survivors in South Africa actually use. For survivors who are not ready to call a helpline or walk into a shelter, WFC's social media presence represents a lower-threshold entry point to support — and a direct line to a human being who will answer them. For advocates, social workers, and organisations: WFC is an indispensable awareness and accountability partner whose national reach is unmatched.

Women for Change: womenforchange.co.za. Email: info@womenforchange.co.za. Facebook: womenforchangeSA. Instagram/TikTok: @womenforchangesa / @womenforchange.sa. X: @womenforchange5. NPO 219-909 / PBO 930066663. Founded 2016 by Sabrina Walter, Cape Town.