POLITICAL CHANGES :
PHILIPPINES
For OBR Philippines , connecting the highlighting human rights issues , state sponsored VAW and the spike of cases of rape in the country , as well as ongoing economic issues during their OBR campaign , not just on Feb 14th but even in the months leading up to it and into March , was a clear political statement in defiance of the government ’ s all out efforts to suppress political dissent ( in the last 3 years , many Gabriela women leaders have been illegally arrested on trumped up charges and are now held as political prisoners , while some have been killed , and some are missing – and Gabriela members throughtout the country continue to face grave security risks ). The participation of government units with OBR at both the national and local levels , just giving that space to Gabriela , OBR , and other people ’ s organizations , being targeted by the government – to explain about the campaign , was a huge form of protest against the national government ’ s policy of political repression . OBR also became a chance for Gabriela to counter the negative propaganda by the Philippine national government , that the women ’ s movement and people ’ s movement in the Philippines are doing nothing for the country .
SOUTH AFRICA
OBR South Africa got a lot of media coverage , and now their opinion on gender-based violence ( GBV ) is being sought by the government . OBR SA demanded an apology from the government and the President of the country made a public apology to the nation about gender- based violence and about the killing of so many children , which has gotten out of hand in the country . OBR South Africa celebrates this as they now feel they are being seen and being recognized in their work . They also took one step further to use the clenched fist as their OBR symbol – knowing the historical context and repercussions in the use of this symbol during their apartheid years . They are now using to mean that while the country may have fought for its freedom – their women are still not free .