Sabrina Walter

When world leaders gathered in South Africa for Africa’s first G-20 Leaders’ Summit in November 2025, Sabrina Walter ensured that a global crisis could not be ignored. Through her organization, Women for Change, Sabrina mobilized a nationwide shutdown: 15 minutes of collective silence to honor victims of gender-based violence and femicide, and to demand decisive action. A powerful, purple-themed social media campaign quickly gained global momentum, with supporters changing their profile pictures in solidarity. In response South Africa declared gender-based violence a national disaster, unlocking resources and renewed policy focus. 

Before this 2025 breakthrough, Sabrina had harnessed grassroots organizing and digital advocacy to spotlight the pervasive violence faced by women and girls. Her work has driven widespread public engagement, elevated the topic to national prominence, and drawn significant media attention. Sabrina Walter turned collective grief into undeniable power and forced a nation to act, proving that when women lead, they do not just demand change, they make it inevitable.

Mutavati is the regional director of U.N. Women for East and Southern Africa