ActionAid South Africa

ActionAid South Africa is a part of ActionAid International, an anti-poverty agency working with poor people in over 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. ActionAid was official established in May 2006 as a country programme in South Africa.

ActionAid operates around six rights-based themes, with Women’s Rights being the core focus in all thematic functions. All the six themes — Women’s Rights, Food Rights, HIV/Aids, Human Security, Governance and Education — are interrelated to each other.

“Well over 100 cases of violence against women are reported each month in this area, half of which comprise sexual assaults,” says Tshilidzi Masikhwa, a legal officer for Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme (TVEP), a local organization working with ActionAid in Thohoyandou. Masikhwa says violence in the area is perpetrated mainly against women and children and about half the victims are teenage girls “but this is a conservative figure as there are many unreported cases”.

TVEP helps victims of domestic violence access legal help as soon as the case is reported to the police. The organization also conducts regular home visits to ensure social well-being of the victims as well medical treatment. Women in Thulamela are also actively taking part in initiatives to prevent the violence before it occurs as well as developing themselves.