Hundreds of women dressed in black lay down in a Johannesburg park on Friday, a day before the G20 summit, to mark the 15 women killed daily by gender based violence in South Africa.
The country promotes a progressive gender agenda at the G20, yet U.N. Women says its femicide rate is five times the global average. The 15 minute protest, held across several cities, drew activists, celebrities and survivors.
Many wept as they lay on the ground, some holding signs such as 'Why do you hate us?' Women for Change organised the action after a month of lobbying that gathered over a million signatures.
Hours later, the government declared gender based violence a national disaster.
