Message from Charlize Theron

Thank you all for coming out and for doing this immeasurably important work. It is so crucial that we come together and unite in this fight- because the task is a big one. There are no countries unaffected, no family untouched, no single person-adult OR child, woman OR man- who is not damaged by the effects of sexual violence and way of thinking that it stems from.

With this said, I am particularly happy that the Sexual Violence Research Initiative’s first conference is here in South Africa, because this country, my country, is plagued by this epidemic- and I am eager to see some change for the better.

I¹m so incredibly proud to be a South African and I want to see my country grow and thrive and be the beautiful safe place I know it can be. I want people to think of the incredible spirit and passion for life, the animals, the rich culture and traditions, the landscape, - not crime or violence. There are no excuses for these crimes to continue on here or anywhere.

There are NO excuses. No excuses for young boys to not know what it means to be real men- to think that part of masculinity is defined by the overpowering of women.  Real men respect women - Period.  NO excuses for why a young girl or woman would think that her clothing, her actions or words made her responsible for an abuse. NO excuses for letting rapists walk away without consequences. And for us, there are NO excuses for not
taking action.

So thank you for committing to tackling an issue so unsettling that many people would rather turn a blind eye to it. Thank you for believing in the change we can make.  I hope that this forum and the knowledge shared here will help us all take a step forward towards making that change and stopping the violence.  My gratitude and awe are boundless.