Protest against sexual abuse expands to include more Eastern Cape universities

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

Students from Walter Sisulu and Fort Hare Universities will, for the first time in eight years, join forces with Rhodes University for a Silent Protest on the 1st of August.

The Silent Protest, organised by Rhodes University's Student Affairs Division, is the biggest protest against rape and sexual violence in South Africa.

Rhodes says the visiting students will be coming to bear witness and experience the protest for themselves, with a view to organising similar protests at their own universities next year.

Last year, Rhodes alumni who had participated in the protest during their studies at Rhodes, took the protest to Wits and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

The co-ordinator of the silent protest at Rhodes, Kim Barker.

"I think the primary method of this protest is standing against the silences around sexual violence and ideas and practices that silence survivors, communities who are suffering.It's to stand in solidarity with all survivors whether they are women, men or children we stand in solidarity with all." says Barker.