POWA is taking a powerful stand against women’s abuse in South Africa by creating a newspaper dedicated to sharing the harrowing stories of women that rarely make the headlines.
This is not a traditional good news story, but it is an incredibly important one. The good news is that POWA is taking a stand and fighting to protect the women against abuse in South Africa.
On the 22nd March, the day after Human Rights Day, women’s empowerment and feminist organisation, ‘People Opposing Women’s Abuse’ (POWA) launched its first news publication – The Daily Abuse. The newsletter is designed as a broadsheet newspaper and reports on 360 incidents of domestic and sexual violence in South Africa. The campaign highlights the prevalence of gender-based violence in the country.
However, there is a twist! These are real stories, the ones behind those statistics you read about in mainstream media. These stories push past the statistics, academic reports and numbers to tell the real stories of the victims.
These are not good news stories, these are stories that are so often ignored and pushed out of view. POWA is taking a stand and speaking out for all the women trapped in these horror stories. The headlines alone, are enough to send chills down one’s spine.
By raising awareness to each story, the conversation within South Africa changes once again and women can speak out for themselves, take a stand and protect themselves, and fight against the injustice that is so often faced when seeking help and support.
Scary Statistics in South Africa
Every four minutes, a woman is sexually or physically abused in South Africa and three are killed by an intimate partner daily. This means that there are over 360 women every day. And these are only the reported cases.
Reporting on the 360 incidences which could have taken place on one day, Human Rights Day 2018, The Daily Abuse seeks to bring this shocking number to life for readers through articles which have been built around real statistics and incidents of violence reported in South Africa.
Whilst the names and key facts have been altered, the central message is clear: whilst global awareness and activism campaigns such as 16 Days of Activism and International Women’s Day create platforms to drive conversations and action, we cannot afford to forget that the abuse is a daily occurrence which has become pervasive in South African society.
Nhlanhla Mokwena, executive director of POWA says that The Daily Abuse is a reminder that South Africans cannot afford to be complacent or fatigued about the issue of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
“There are people who’ve opted for apathy, indifference and even victim-shaming when hearing about domestic violence and South Africans need to ask: if we as a nation say we are tired of hearing about it, imagine those who are living with it every day.”
“The Daily Abuse is a publication that will bring attention and remind us all that domestic violence and sexual abuse is indeed a crisis that needs us all to be active citizens in curbing its prevalence.
We can no longer be complacent and then shocked into action with one horrific act of abuse that makes headlines. What about the other 359 victims we are leaving behind daily? This publication will remind us of how pervasive gender-based violence is so that we as a country work towards a time where The Daily Abuse will no longer have incidents to report.”
The Daily Abuse is an initiative that will give the South African public:
- 360 reasons to read and understand the many faces of domestic violence and sexual abuse – beyond the numbers in academic papers and crime reports,
- 360 proof points on why South Africans should be more outraged on the issues of gender-based violence and sexual abuse, and
- 360 reminders that we need to stop turning the page on abuse.
Where there are people willing to stand up and speak out, you will always find hope too, because without hope, one cannot begin to make a change. POWA has created a platform that will assist thousands of women in South Africa.
They have provided easy links to access counselling, legal support, information about trauma and abuse as well as support towards surviving rape. All these things can be found on ‘The Daily Abuse’ website here.
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