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The Black Lawyers Association (BLA) is a voluntary association of legal practitioners in South Africa, with its preamble to the constitution,  being aware of our role in contributing towards building a society that is devoid of racial and gender discrimination characterized by a number of gross inequalities.  The BLA strives to protect the interests of its members and the previously disadvantaged legal practitioners; and to protect the interests of the members of public, mainly from disadvantaged communities.

We are joining the campaign against the abuse of women and children by observing the 16 days of activism. The campaign started in 1998 in South Africa focusing at raising awareness on the fight against abuse and acts of violence against Women and Children. The BLA supports the campaign as we appreciate the violation of human rights of the victims of gender based and child abuse violence. The campaign is observed internationally on an annual basis from the 25th November to 10 December.

South Africa has a deep history in the oppression of women. The legal profession is also not different from the patriarchal environment that practices inequality between men and women. The social imbalance of seeing male counterparts as the dominating sex is partly responsible for the inequality that is experienced by women today. The country witnesses on a daily basis the most harrowing violent acts of abuse committed on women and children, most of which performed by their loved ones, the people that were supposed to be protecting them.

As we are raising the flag against the abuse of Women and Children, we call upon all citizens to commit to a community free of violence against women and children. Our country will become a better place if we all commit to building one another and lending support to the needy. The Black Lawyer’s Association is calling all people, men and women, including its members to make individual commitment to this cause during the 16 days of activism against gender based and children abuse and beyond. Let us all unite and bring an end to this pain that continuously break us as a society.

Issued by the Black Lawyers Association