Gender-based violence in South Africa is not just a crisis it’s a national wound. Every week,new stories surface of women, queer communities, and children harmed, disappeared, or lost.

And still, GBV remains treated as a “crime issue,” not the full-blown national emergency it truly is.

Across the country, organisations like Women For Change SA have been calling for South Africa to declare GBV a national disaster, amplified by the rise of the Purple Movement a visual reminder that we cannot continue as normal when women are being killed, violated, or scared into silence.

But how does menstrual health fit into this conversation?
More than we realise.

GBV, Inequality, and Menstrual Health Are Connected

When GBV thrives, it shapes how safe women and menstruators feel in their homes, communities, and even their schools. The same systemic failures that allow GBV to continue unchecked also deepen period poverty, health inequality, and limited access to menstrual products.

You cannot separate the safety of the body from the dignity of the body.

A country that cannot protect women’s lives will also fail to protect their:

• access to healthcare,

• access to education,

• ability to manage their periods with dignity,

• and their right to simply exist without fear.That is why menstrual health must be part of the national conversation.

Why GBV Should Be Declared a National Disaster

A “national disaster” classification is not symbolic it forces immediate action.

It would:

• allocate emergency funds,

• expand protection services,

• mandate rapid response measures,

• prioritise women’s safety in policy and budgeting,

• and strengthen accountability for institutions that fail victims.

South Africa declares disasters for floods, droughts, and pandemics and yet the continuous killing and abuse of women remains filed under “crime.”

Declaring GBV a national disaster says:

“This is urgent. This is national. This needs resources now.”

Where Menstrual Health Fits Into This Fight

For communities already living with poverty, underfunded schools, and unsafe environments, periods become even harder to manage. Many menstruators:

• feel unsafe travelling to public toilets,

• face shame or mocking when they leak,

• miss school during their cycle,

• lack safe access to pads, wipes, or bathrooms,

• experience stigma that is rooted in the same gendered inequality that fuels GBV

Menstrual health is a safety issue.

It is an education issue.  It is a human rights issue.

And when the state overlooks menstrual needs, it is another way of telling menstruators that their bodies matter less.

How Sheba Feminine Fits Into This Movement

Sheba Feminine is part of a growing wave of South African brands and organisations committed to changing the narrative around period care and menstrual education.

Our work focuses on:

• providing safe, biodegradable menstrual products,

• running menstrual health workshops in under-resourced communities,

• normalising open conversation around menstrual wellbeing,

• reducing shame through inclusive language,

• and helping end period poverty one school at a time.

Our team recently visited Wongalethu Senior Primary, where young menstruators bravely shared their first-period stories, asked questions, and learned about dignity, hygiene, and self-care.

We saw firsthand that empowerment starts with knowledge, and knowledge is only possible when people feel safe enough to learn.

What the Purple Movement Teaches Us

The rise of the Purple Movement with businesses closing for a day, people wearing purple, and communities demanding change shows that South Africans are no longer willing to be silent.

Purple is a colour of:

• courage,

• resistance,

• and remembrance.

It reminds us that GBV victims are not statistics they were people with futures, dreams, periods, bodies, and lives.

And it reminds us that those who survive deserve a country that values their safety and dignity.

A Future Where Safety and Dignity Are Non-Negotiable

Menstrual health cannot be empowered in a society where women’s bodies are unsafe.

GBV cannot be reduced in a society that refuses to prioritise women’s wellbeing.

These conversations must sit side by side.

Declaring GBV a national disaster is the first step.

Ensuring menstrual health access is the next.

South Africa deserves a future where:

• girls do not miss school because they bleed,

• menstruators do not fear the walk to the bathroom,

• and no one is punished, shamed, or harmed simply for existing in a menstrators body.

This is the work we commit to at Sheba Feminine and we stand firmly with everyone fighting for change.

With love,

The Sheba Feminine Team

Shaping safer, healthier futures one flow at a time.