Mara Glennie
Frontline services responding to gender-based violence (GBV) must permanently embed survivors and people with lived experience in their decision-making processes, an award-winning anti-GBV campaigner has urged.
Mara Glennie, founder and chief executive of the South Africa-based TEARS Foundation, made the call following a double honour during Women's Month, where she received recognition at the Influential Awards 2026 and was named a Community Impact Leader by Cosatu's Gauteng Gender Structure.
"I appeal to all organisations that deal with domestic abuse, coercive control and stalking, including the police, to have lived experience represented when decisions are made, as it is pivotal in shaping a meaningful response against GBV," Glennie said.
Glennie emphasised that while professional qualifications, uniforms and technical training remain essential, they cannot replace the practical insight gained through surviving abuse.
