70 years after South Africa’s women challenged apartheid, some say their freedom isn’t complete
Summary
South Africa marks 70 years since the 1956 Women’s March, when about 20,000 women protested laws that restricted Black women’s movements under apartheid. Even today, many women in South Africa face challenges like violence, poverty, and inequality, showing that the struggle for full freedom continues.Key Facts
- The 1956 Women’s March involved around 20,000 women of different races protesting apartheid pass laws in Pretoria.
- Pass laws required Black women to carry documents limiting where they could go.
- Many women risked arrest, torture, or death by opposing these racist laws.
- A 2024 United Nations Women study found over one-third of South African women experienced physical or sexual violence.
- Ramnie Dinat, now 84, was involved in organizing the march with her mother, an anti-apartheid activist.
- The Women’s Jail in Johannesburg, once part of the apartheid prison system, is now a museum.
- Women imprisoned there were separated by race and faced harsh treatment, including being denied basic hygiene items.
- The museum serves as a reminder of South Africa’s struggle from apartheid to democracy.
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