THE new administration in the US will negatively affect women’s rights around the world, organisers of a women’s march set to be held in Washington DC have said.
And in showing solidarity, South Africans can, and will, be getting involved.
“The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonised, and threatened many of us – immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, native people, black and brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault – and our communities are hurting and scared.
“In the spirit of democracy and honouring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights,” the march’s website read.
By yesterday there were 616 Sister marches planned across the US and around the world, and about one million people have RSVP’d that they will be attending.
A number of African cities will also be participating, including in Ghana and Malawi.
In Cape Town, a group of women came together to facilitate a Sister march at the plaza at the top of the Company’s Garden, from 11am until 12.30pm.
It is open to anyone wanting to join.
Human rights lawyer Meetali Jain said that decisions taken in the US would have an impact on women in South Africa.
“A lot of women are worried about the impact of US foreign policies, and the march on Saturday is to show we stand in solidarity,” Jain said.
Nancy Krisch from Wynberg has obtained a permit for people to gather on Saturday. She said the silver lining to the Trump administration was that for the first time in many years in the US, people were mobilising.
● To register to join in Cape Town, visit https://actionnetwork.org/events/sister-march-cape-town