#SAYHISNAME: Social media and feminist advocacy – a case study

abstract

Social media platforms are increasingly being used for activism and advocacy worldwide to raise consciousness, provide support to victims and survivors, build a stronger movement, and highlight the high prevalence of femicide and violence towards women. Reverend June Dolley-Major is a feminist, a rape survivor, and an activist; she has been a front woman for sexual violence advocacy in South Africa by using her own traumatic experiences after being raped by an Anglican priest. This study aims to analyse how social media platforms, such as Facebook, when used alongside traditional activism, can create a formidable tool for feminist advocacy. This case study documents the extraordinary efforts of one woman who was able to make a powerful impact by challenging the most powerful patriarchal institution in South Africa − the Church − and is based on a series of interviews conducted with Rev. June Dolley-Major between January and April 2022.

keywords:

• social media
• feminist advocacy
• consciousness raising
• sexual assault
• movement building

Notes

1 The term victim is used purposefully – some women who are raped themselves identify as victim.

2 #Sayhisname campaign as a hashtag campaign has been used in the United States (US) to call for justice for black men wrongly accused of crimes by police. The campaign in South Africa under discussion in the article calls for social justice for rape survivors and an end to silencing of the victim.

3 See report in the Citizen, ‘Court tosses out rape-accused reverend Melvin Booysen’s attempt to gag victim’. The judge stated: “More harm will be caused to the respondent and those who have either shared their experiences or have been encouraged to speak out and seek help in respect of their own abuse”. The judge, shifting the narrative of the courts from silencing of the victim, stated: “It would be preposterous to give the alleged abuser editorial rights over the victim’s narrative.”

4 See the Samuel, Partenio & Yiping (2020, ‘Diversifying strategies for feminist digital activism in the global South’, which elaborates on the problems of censorship in using Information Technologies (IT) for feminist advocacy and change.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tracy Jean-Pierre

TRACY JEAN-PIERRE is a feminist activist working in the field of violence against women. Email: [email protected]