The 9th August is National Women's Day in South Africa, commemorating that day in 1956 when 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act of 1950, which would restrict African women's movements in the cities.

During August 2010, the staff at the Saartjia Baartman Centre was asked to participate in and address various events on gender-based violence and the work of the Centre. Director Synnøv Skorge spoke at a symposium about the unwillingness of shelters to accommodate lesbians and transwomen, and also attended two fundraisers on behalf of the Centre; Thembeka Ncanywe spoke about domestic violence to vendors of The Big Issue, an income-generation project for unemployed people; and Ilse Ahrends opened a six-week course on gender-based violence for women at a local church. The shelter staff and some of the residents addressed women prisoners at a Cape Town prison, and also participated in a number of radio interviews.

All in all, the call went out loud and clear that violence against women must stop, especially in South Africa where the prevalence is so high. Women, speak out! Break the silence!