The Directorate Youth and Special Programmes within the Office of The Head of Department is mandated with co-ordination and implementation of equity programmes which focus on designated groups, including the Youth, Women, and People with Disabilities.

Special Programmes Directorate held a Women’s Desk and Men in Black awareness campaign which aims at reducing and preventing violence against women and girls in schools and the workplace. It also gives men an opportunity to be advocates of anti- harassment and Gender Based Violence in the work space.

Special Programmes Unit Director, Zukiswa Njotini said " The Department have decided to Co-ordinate a campaign that will give men opportunities to listen to women and their experiences, to educate other men and to capacitate both genders about equity and Gender Based Violence”.

In 2018 The Eastern Cape Department of Education took a decision to establish a Women's Desk whose key responsibility is institutionalising and mainstreaming gender issues within the department, monitoring and advise management on the implementation of Employment Equity and Women Empowerment in relation to increase in number of Women appointed to Senior Management positions and to provide a platform for women of the Department.

To raise issues pertaining but not limited to gender-based violence and sexual harassment which affect them in the work place.

DCES EMIS Governance, YSP N Jojo added “it is truly crucial to have such initiatives in the work place because women experience so much hardship and abuse, however not forgetting that man do experience these injustices as well, so it is our responsibility to change the abuse, mistreatment and harassment in the working space and offer initiates like these to make everyone feel comfortable at work”.

The implementation of this campaign will result in the department meeting its statutory obligations regarding employment equity and women empowerment, also decrease in reported sexual assault and Gender Based Violence cases within the Eastern Cape