South Africa: My ‘NO’ Means ‘NO’

“Awareness is so important. I think there are many components that the Deaf community does not have access to and therefore is not aware.”

These words from Nobuhle Maseko, a vibrant 25-year-old Deaf woman, capture the urgency of her mission: to empower Deaf women and girls to understand their rights and break the silence around gender-based violence (GBV).

From Graduation to Advocacy

Fresh out of university with an Honours degree in Industrial Psychology and HR from the University of the Western Cape, Nobuhle was searching for a job when she encountered the Enabled Women Arise (EWA) project . The programme, supported by Gender Links through WVL-SA, equips women with disabilities to educate others about GBV from a disability perspective.

For Nobuhle, the training was life-changing. “There are a lot of things I did not know that I know now—such as consent. Knowing that you have the right to say NO but then being forced and eventually just accepting that. The concept of people not understanding NO, the concept of my NO is my NO—that impacted me. It served as a self-educational platform and a way to raise awareness.”

Breaking Barriers in the Deaf Community

Nobuhle’s journey into advocacy revealed a stark reality: GBV is a pandemic within the disability community, yet awareness remains low. “Awareness is so important. The Deaf community lacks access to information and therefore remains unaware,” she says.

Inspired by the training and by Maymoona, a blind facilitator whose academic depth and motivational delivery left a lasting impression, Nobuhle embraced her role as a Disability GBV peer educator. “She was resourceful and inspiring. Her clarity and consistency motivated me to participate fully.”

Paying It Forward

Nobuhle now conducts GBV education sessions at St Vincent School for the Deaf and Filadelphia Special Needs School, reaching young Deaf women with critical information. The impact extends beyond classrooms. “It has helped me with family matters. I can start dialogues with cousins to empower them. I also explained the project to my friends, creating awareness. What I learned is not just about me—it’s about empowering others.”

The pay-it-forward model has been transformative. Nobuhle hopes it will reach as wide as possible: “It’s so important in the Deaf community. The Deaf community is small, and we need accessibility to be facilitated.”

Challenges and Gaps

Despite her successes, Nobuhle highlights systemic gaps. “Teachers help, but after school what happens? The police can’t help them, and they don’t know where to turn. Abuse continues, and there is nothing they can do.” She laments the lack of interpreters and the exclusion of Deaf people from mainstream GBV interventions.

Recruiting Deaf women for focus groups has been challenging. “The subject matter is daunting. It takes a lot of convincing and one-on-one engagement.” Nobuhle calls for more support to form permanent Deaf women’s groups and for Deaf role models to lead these conversations.

By: Nobuhle Maseko.