REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA COMBINED SECOND PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE`S RIGHTS and INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA of Activism Campaign to End Violence against Women and Children; it also represents an annual campaign to address the scourge. This campaign has been run successfully on an annual basis, increasing yearly in the number of people that it is able to reach. The campaign includes road shows to farm dwellers and fundraising activities. The fundraising is done for the benefit of civil society organizations that provide services to women victim of violence. Various organizations across the country have been assisted through fundraising to build community centres and shelters for abused women and children. Inclusion of men as partners in the campaign has been important. In 2007, the 365-Day Action Plan to end Gender Violence was launched to ensure that sensitisation of the society on gender based violence runs throughout the year. 143. The country is scaling up the prevention of violence against women programmes through awareness raising and advocacy with different stakeholders including business, religious based organizations and parliamentarians. One such campaign identified the 2014 launch of social media campaign titled “Count me in: Together moving a non-violent South Africa Forward”. Government in partnership with CrimeLine activated the #365 Days of no violence against women in 2014. In addition the 2014 Activism Campaign on 16 Days of No Violence against Women and Children focused primarily on reaching out to men and boys to become active partners in fighting the scourge of gender based violence in the country as well as to play a role in advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality. 144. The Commission on Gender Equality and the South African Human Rights Commission have equally been involved in educational programmes that seek to combat sex stereotyping through public education and material production. 145. The courts have also played a critical role in transforming societal beliefs and attitudes through some of their landmark decisions that have fundamentally changed customary and religious practices that violate women’s rights. 146. Civil society plays a fundamentally important role in raising awareness, advocating and educating on the rights of women and the fight against gender based violence. For example, since 2003, activists have been spearheading a focus on the lives of black lesbians, living in working-class and poor neighbourhoods. A campaign called “The Rose has Thorns” was started - this looks at chronicling the lives of black, lesbian women, mostly in Alexandra township, and provided ongoing legal and social support to those who had been raped and assaulted. There was also the One-in-Nine campaign, a campaign designed to advocate against misogyny and homophobia. In 2005, Sonke Gender Justice, an NGO, addressed how the role of men and boys is critical in advancing women and started the One Man Can campaign. Support to victims of violence 147. 358 An important component of South Africa’s response to sexual violence is the support offered to the victims of such crimes. In this regard, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007358 establishes the legal framework for the adequate and effective protection of victims of sexual violence. Act No. 32 of 2007 176