Our 

Work

Societies free of GBV do not exist, and South Africa is no exception. Although accurate statistics are difficult to obtain for many reasons (including the fact that most incidents of GBV are not reported), it is evident South Africa has high rates of GBV, including VAWG and violence against LGBT people.

GIRL activists use both traditional and non-traditional means to push for social change. GIRL activists do extensive electoral and lobbying work and bring lawsuits.

1,990+

Access To Quality SRHR

1,780+

Opportunities To Economic Security

12+

Years In Experience

Policies & Initiatives

Good practice policies and initiatives on gender equality.

To see that all girls and women, regardless of ethnicity, income level or social status, are nurtured and empowered to reach their fullest potential.

To educate and empower socially and economically disadvantaged women and girls to make healthy choices in every aspect of their lives by providing personal growth and development services through one-on-one and group mentoring, workshops and career development programs.

To develop and implement programmes aimed at improving the standards of living of their communities through sustainable use of the environment and the available resources.

To empower women and girls economically and educationally to enable them participate in development activities, initiate the community to advocate for support and education of girls, to increase enrollment of girls in school, to change the life of poor women and their families through revolving fund provision and empower their households economically.

Thematic Areas

Following are the general areas where our projects are derived from.

GIRL experience in addressing gender and social inequalities and power imbalances to HIV prevention, testing and treatment for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW). GIRL youth led initiatives create safe spaces for engaging AGYW in open and interactive human rights discussions. GIRL integrates innovation to address negative gender norms that place AGYW at higher risk of HIV acquisition and negative health outcomes for those living with HIV.

GIRL expanded access to quality and integrated HIV and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information, services and resources for 1, 990 AGYW Sex Workers. GIRL’s youth peer educators provide accurate and Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).

GIRL integrated human rights-based approaches into HIV services provision. Health Workers were trained in providing rights based and stigma free HIV and SRHR services. Health Facility of the month awards were created to reward the best clinics promoting access to HIV care for Sex Workers without prejudice. This integration helped 1, 450 AGYW Sex Workers acquire right information, services and resources to be able to control decisions about their SRHR choices.

GIRL has delivered person centered interventions that have increased self-worth, social protection and provided opportunities to economic security for 1, 780 AGYW Sex Workers in Soweto. GIRL works with community-led Sex Worker peer caregivers to scale up provision of quality integrated HIV and SRHR information and services. GIRL builds capacities to expand facility and community levels SRHR services for AGYW Sex Workers.

GIRL’s work aims to advance the rights of marginalized women and girls by addressing root causes of Gender Based Violence and stigma. GIRL engages and empowers girls and young women in their diversity including LBTQ adolescent girls, young sex workers and girls who use drugs. GIRL’s work is focused on advancing the rights of marginalized women and girls especially Sex Workers and LBTQ girls and young women.

GIRL is a Community-Based Organisation best placed to deliver change at a community level. GIRL has strong links and representation of AGYW Sex Workers, adolescent girls and young women in all their diversity. GIRL has 12 years’ experience working to promote the rights of AGYW Sex Workers. GIRL has necessary relationships with South African Police Services (SAPS), Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) working as Sex Workers, Women led rights groups and Private and Public Clinics.

For the past 12 years, GIRL has designed and delivered innovative projects for engaging communities to address negative gender norms, address Gender and Intimate Partner Violence and support AGYW working as Sex Workers. GIRL will scale up proven effective innovations as part of For HER. GIRL has delivered community responses that work at the level of changing beliefs, attitudes and behaviours to improve health and rights at community levels.

GIRL has a strong track record of delivering projects of this nature and size. In previous projects, GIRL engaged SAPS in Sex Workers’ rights and turned them into partners. GIRL has experience and expertise in delivering projects that address gender and social inequalities to HIV prevention, testing and treatment for AGYW Sex Workers aged 15 -24 years.

GIRL’s projects have created safe and supportive communities for AGYW Sex Workers. In previous work in Soweto and Thembisa, GIRL increased Sex Workers’ legal rights literacy by using innovative approaches to engage 501 Police, 234 Community Leaders and 3, 400 men and boys. This engagement helped to improve beliefs, attitudes and behaviors and addressed gender and social inequalities. The immediate outcome of this creative engagement was reduced Gender Violence for 2, 300 Sex Workers.

GIRL prevention of Gender Based Violence (GBV risk mitigation initiatives, Provision of GBV essential services, through static and mobile One Stop Centres in remote and hard to reach areas, Community-based GBV surveillance, including rapid assessments and data collection on GBV risk exacerbation, service mapping and accessibility constraints, strengthening and context adaptation of referral pathways, survivors’ referrals to lifesaving services, support to the establishment of community-based PSEA complaints mechanisms and Capacity building of GBV actors on GBViE preparedness and response, GBV risk mitigation and response and PSEA integration across clusters response etc.)

Recent Projects

HOPS

GIRL has been delivering several community-engagement projects. In Emfuleni local Municipality, GIRL is engaging communities in implementing Health Options Project (HOPS). With HOPS, GIRL provides direct health, social and legal support services to female and transgender Sex Workers, clients and partners. HOPS is supporting families and children of Sex Workers.

HOPS creates social protection linkages between Sex Workers on AIDS treatment to access social protection allowances during the COVID-19 pandemic. With HOPS, GIRL is supporting Sex Workers by connecting their children to Early Childhood Development (ECD) services. HOPS enrolls and retains the children to ECD services and trains Sex Workers in effective parenting so that ECD services can continue at home. HOPS supports ECD centers to expand access to quality EDC services for Sex Workers’ children.

HOPS sensitises health professionals and media around Sex Workers rights and advocates for the
rights of Sex Workers. In delivering HOPS, Sex Workers are actively involved in the development
and implementation of activities. Sex Workers have paid positions as outreach workers, peer educators, leaders of workshops, and assistants of drop-in centres.

ENGAGE

GIRL is implementing a project called Empowered Needs for Greater Actions and Gender Equality (ENGAGE). Being implemented in Emfuleni and Lesidi local municipalities, ENGAGE primary target group are female, male and transgender Sex Workers, meaning those who receive money or goods in exchange for sexual services, either regularly or occasionally.

GIRL is engaging communities on ending Violence against Sex Workers. Violence against Sex Workers in South Africa has reached emergency levels. 71 percent of Sex Workers experience sexual, physical and emotional violence. A 2021 survey indicate that in three years, 118 Sex Workers have died as a result of violence. To reduce violence against Sex Workers, GIRL  engages Sex Worker groups to build and empower resilient Sex Worker movements.

With ENGAGE, GIRL engages Sex Worker-led groups, police and NGOs on human rights and health services to reduce violence against Sex Workers. Based on Sex Workers’ own priorities and
needs, activities implemented under ENGAGE include addressing inequalities and power imbalances to HIV prevention, testing and treatment for adolescent girls and young women working as Sex Workers

To engage communities and address inequalities and power imbalances to HIV prevention, testing and treatment for sex workers, ENGAGE teams organise creative spaces and workshops in which topics such as HIV prevention and sexual health and rights are discussed with Sex Workers. ENGAGE conducts national lobbying as a tool to address bylaws that are used to arrest Sex Workers. By creatively engaging with police, ENGAGE increases police cooperation and protection of Sex Workers.

HeRI

In Gauteng province, Sex Workers have faced a huge economic impact due to COVID-19-related restrictions on physical contact and movement. The criminalization of sex work has disproportionately given way to increased stigma, discrimination, violence and an inability to access essential health-care services among Sex Workers. Sex Workers have been left out of financial and social support schemes.

In response to these challenges, GIRL is supporting the economic capacity of Sex Workers in Soweto and Lesidi. With a project called Health and Rights Initiative (HeRI), GIRL is engaging Sex Worker Clubs to empower them as social entrepreneurs to scale up existing or develop new business initiatives that can generate sustainable economic value and social impact. 

HeRI supported a comprehensive market analysis which helped Sex Workers to identify the potential of processing shea-nut seeds to create value-added products, such as lotions, bathing oils, soaps and hair oils. HeRI is empowering Sex Workers to achieve economic resilience, increased food and economic security and reduced vulnerabilities to
sexual and gender-based violence.