摘要：The issue of gender-based violence (GBV) against women in South Africa is prevalent in mainstream and online social media. Women and girls are targeted in what is seemingly becoming a prolonged cycle of GBV in the country. Human right activists, organisations, and political leaders condemn this violence through various platforms, including the media. Civil society in South Africa have organised and mobilised marches and protests, tirelessly speaking out against the issue of violence against women in the country. The focus of this study is to explore and analyse how counter-discourse has been used against GBV in the country and used to reject commonly held assumptions about GBV. Through the purposive sampling of selected posts/placards used during marches and protests collected from online sources, this article examines how language is being used to combat and expose the issue of GBV and how language, when used mindfully and purposefully, could be a crucial tool in curbing GBV, including femicide, abuse, assault, rape, and violence, amongst other crimes.
关键词：gender-based violence ; counter-discourse ; language use ; South Africa
