Johannesburg, South Africa, 1 August 2025: In the face of rising backlash against gender equality and women’s rights, Gender Links (GL) has launched the #PushForward4Equality campaign – an urgent and collective call to action across Southern Africa and beyond.
The launch comes at the start of Women’s Month and ahead of the SADC Heads of State Summit later in August — a critical moment to demand regional leadership on gender justice. The campaign will also build momentum toward the G20 and W20 summits later this year, where global commitments to women’s rights face mounting pressure.
This year marks 30 years since the landmark Beijing Platform for Action, the global blueprint for advancing the rights of women and girls in all their diversities. While the past three decades saw significant advances – legal reforms, policy advances and changing social norms – this progress is increasingly under threat.
Across the world, including in Southern Africa, conservative forces are mounting regressive legislative efforts, promoting discriminatory narratives and coordinating attacks on feminist movements and civil society. Backlash doesn’t just slow progress – it puts women’s freedom, safety and autonomy at risk. Recognising and countering it is one of the most urgent challenges facing gender justice movements today.
The #PushForward4Equality aims to counter these regressive trends by spotlighting powerful stories of resistance, amplifying voices and galvanising collective movement-building. It is a call for united action – to push forward, together.
“We are living in a time where hard-won rights are under threat,” said GL Special Advisor Colleen Lowe Morna. “The #PushForward4Equality campaign is our rallying cry – to resist, to rise, and to reclaim space through solidarity, storytelling and sustained advocacy.”
The campaign is powered by collaboration with Gender Links’ extensive network of regional partners, including the SADC Gender Protocol Alliance, Women of the South Speak Out (WOSSO), the Marang Fund, African Women in Dialogue (AfWID), media organisations and others. The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) supports the campaign’s focus on deepening advocacy, advancing digital strategies and strengthening feminist movement-building across the region.
At its core, #PushForward4Equality is about shifting the narrative—from fear to hope, from silence to action—while celebrating strength and resilience. By sharing uplifting experiences and spotlighting effective resistance strategies, the campaign seeks to inspire sustained action that drives real change in gender norms, policy and public consciousness.
A dedicated campaign page serves as the hub for blogs, media stories, downloadable resources, event updates, and calls to action.
For more information: Contact specialadvisor@genderlinks.org.za or text +27826516995