News | 5 Aug 2021
Young women in South Africa are not equal. They are more at risk of getting HIV, more likely to leave school early, more likely to have mental health issues and much more likely to experience sexual and gender-based violence. If we want an equal future for women and girls, now’s the time to act! We’ve created a Generation Equality profile frame for Facebook, show your support by adding it to your profile for Women’s Month. Taking our cue from UN Women’s #GenerationEquality campaign and the South African government’s Women’s Month theme for 2021… NACOSA is calling on its network and…
News | 5 Aug 2021
Tsaki* attended the No Means No empowerment self-defense classes run by Childline Gauteng as part of NACOSA’s Adolescent Girls and Young Women Programme, funded by the Global Fund. This is her story. I grew up living with my mother and stepfather, I knew my father and accepted the fact that he does not care about me. I always witnessed physical abuse, which killed me emotionally at times, I wouldn’t sleep overthinking everything. It was July when I almost lost my mother due to gender based violence. That is when I started receiving counselling, having the support of social workers made…
News | 5 Aug 2021
According to the World Health Organisation, about half of all mental health conditions begin by 14 years of age, with most cases remaining unrecognised and untreated. The adolescence developmental stage is characterised by physical, emotional, and social change so it is important to protect young people at risk of adverse mental health outcomes, and to identify and provide support to those with mental health conditions. The more risks that an adolescent is exposed to, the greater the likelihood that he or she will experience mental health challenges. In Eastern and Southern Africa, 79% of new HIV infections were among 10–19…
News | 5 Aug 2021
The devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on South Africa’s economy have created emergencies for many sectors around the country. Hardest hit by the pandemic are sex workers – already one of the most stigmatized and discriminated-against communities in South Africa. The pandemic has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities faced by sex workers and with lockdown restrictions, it has been more difficult than ever for sex workers to operate with their workspaces having been closed and heavily regulated by law enforcement. In a quest to find out about how the pandemic has impacted the sex worker community, NACOSA spoke with a…
