Powa launches campaign

PEOPLE Opposing Women Abuse (Powa) has launched a powerful campaign – #SafeAtHome – on social media.

To coincide with International Women’s Day yesterday, the organisation put together a series of images online to highlight the dangers women faced in their own homes, let alone out in public.

The campaign reads: “South African women are more likely to be killed by their intimate partners than by a stranger. We are dedicated to improving the lives of abused women by offering them support, shelter, counselling and legal advice.”

In the images women are seen doing what they would normally be doing at home, at different locations outside the usual.

One woman is seen sitting on a couch reading a book near a railway line, another is seen ironing clothes in an underground area and in another image, a woman is seen getting ready for bed under a bridge.

Accompanying the images are the words: “Many women feel safer here than at home”.

The campaign was inspired by an article written by senior advocacy officer at Soul City Savera Kalideen.

In the article, Kalideen writes about South Africa having the most intimate partner violence deaths in the world.

“Every day,” she writes, “three women are killed by their intimate partners. Few of these attacks reach the media; even fewer are front page news. Many are never followed up through the justice system.”

South Africa’s murder rate declined between 1999 and 2009, but the incidence of women killed by their intimate partners increased from 50% to 57%.

Half of these women were killed by partners they were living with, while 30% were killed by men they were dating, and 18% by their husbands, according to research studies co-authored by the Medical Research Council’s Rachel Jewkes.

The online campaign by Powa is to make people aware of the issues faced by women on a daily basis and also to make the public aware of what Powa offers.

Posters encourage people to call Powa at 011 642 4345/6 and help make homes safe again. #SafeAtHome