By Sheree Russouw
ABOUT 200 people will pound Braamfontein's streets on 5 December when they march to the Civic Theatre to highlight women and child abuse. Organised by LifeLine's Stop Women Abuse helpline, the march forms part of the nationwide Sixteen Days of Peace campaign, which envisions an abuse-free South Africa.
"It is time that we as South Africans say 'enough is enough' to the abuse of women and children," said Susie Clark, the helpline's information officer. "We are asking people to join us in our march and make their voices heard. We hope to raise awareness about abuse in all its forms and we will definitely be making a lot of noise."
A host of non-governmental organisations are expected to join the march, among them Gender Links, a gender and development NGO, Aids lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign, the Aids Consortium and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation.
Clark credits NGOs and the media with raising awareness about the campaign, which she believes has led to a spirited response from communities spread throughout the country. "It's the most important campaign globally and I think South Africa has to get a Noddy badge for its work with this campaign. We are pushing back all frontiers and a lot of South Africans are saying 'enough is enough'."
LifeLine's Stop Women Abuse helpline was created in 1999, and is housed at the organisation's national offices in Braamfontein. The 18 counsellors who man the phones are fluent in all 11 official languages and strive to "provide a safe, anonymous, and confidential platform for people who need to talk about domestic or sexual violence issues", according to Clarke.
Besides its free telephonic counselling, this LifeLine unit refers people for face-to-face counselling and offers callers information about resources they can access in their own communities, she said.
More than 65 000 people dial the helpline's number each month, Clark said. Most callers are women in the 20- to 29-year-old age bracket. "There are a lot of women who don't know what do or who to call when they are in an abusive relationship. They are more vulnerable to abuse by their partners."
But she adds that the centre logs a number of calls from men seeking information and counselling. "They are either victims of abuse or the perpetrators themselves who call in and tell us they don't know how to stop their abusive behaviour. It is encouraging that more men are opening up and talking about their problems, irrespective of whether they are the perpetrators or victims of abuse."
Contact Lifeline's Stop Women Abuse toll free hotline at 0800-150-150.
