Media Advisory
Invitation to a webinar: Gender-based violence in the higher education sector
#EndGBV #JusticeForNosicelo
From policy to implementation – action and accountability now
Date: 25 August 2021
Approved for public release
The deaths of Nosicelo Mtebeni, Uyinene Mrwetyana and too many other young women are brutal reminders of the hard struggle we are waging in efforts to free our society – including the higher education sector – of violence in general and gender-based violence in particular.
We need your help to prevent violence and lasting trauma faced by survivors and to ensure justice is served on perpetrators.
Please join us on Friday 27 August as we release a set of instruments that will help turn the sectoral GBV Policy Framework (launched by Minister Blade Nzimande in July 2020) into action:
These instruments are directives to all our institutions and management to operationalise necessary infrastructure for a comprehensive response to cases of sexual and gender misconduct, rape, sexual assaults across all our campuses.
Working with judicial and police services, the implementation guidelines and protocols on rape and a code of ethics will ensure the reporting of cases, disciplinary systems, safeguarding evidence, provision of rape kits, psychosocial support services and survivor-friendly infrastructure are rolled out across our sector.
The three instruments were developed by the PSET Gender Based Violence Technical Task Team which is led by HIGHER HEALTH and comprises student leadership, vice chancellors of 26 public universities, rectors of 50 TVET colleges, the Commission of Gender Equality, Department of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, South African Police Services, Department of Justice, United Nations (UNWOMEN and UNFPA), civil society, the SA Medical Research Council and executive leadership from the Department of Higher Education and Training.
The webinar programme will feature these speakers:
Mr Buti Manamela – Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Prof Puleng LenkaBula – Chairperson of the HIGHER HEALTH GBV Technical Task Team and VC of UNISA, Professor Dipiloane Phutsisi – Deputy President of SACPO, Ms Tamara Mathebula – Chairperson of Commission of Gender Equality, Ms Anne Githuku-Shongwe – UNWOMEN, student leadership
Prof Ramneek Ahluwalia, the CEO of HIGHER HEALTH – programme director
When: 12h30-14h30, Friday 27 August 2021
Link:https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88589971637?pwd=d0RLbXYydTlzQmxrRVZlKzAybnM1UT09
Senate Hall, 2nd floor, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Building, UNISA Muckleneuk Campus, Pretoria
The event will be attended (mostly remotely) by representatives from the PSET including management, unions and student formations.
Members of the media are invited to join the webinar via the above link.
Click here to view the Programme.
END!
ISSUED BY UNISA MEDIA AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING (DHET)
Last modified: Sun Jul 30 14:11:11 SAST 2023