South Africa is one of the countries in the world with a high crime rate.
According to statistics from GovChat, a total of 532 cases were reported on the platform.
Ninety-eight were cases of domestic violence, 80 cases of emotional abuse, 78 cases of abandoned children, 40 of physical abuse, and 34 cases of verbal abuse and intimidation reported as the top five incident types.
On Friday, November 25, YSL Beauty launched the “Abuse Is Not Love” campaign in South Africa to kick-start “16 Days of Activism against Women and Children Abuse”.
"Abuse is Not Love" is an initiative aimed at helping combat intimate partner violence (IPV) by supporting the prevention programmes of its non-profit organization (NPO) partners across the globe. In South Africa, the brand has partnered with Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention and Training (ADAPT) to help universities with prevention programmes that address the underlying attitudes, norms, and behaviours that support IPV.
The ultimate goals of such interventions are to end violence, empower women and girls, and promote non-violent, equitable, and respectful relationships.
“The intention of ‘Abuse Is Not Love’ in South Africa is to educate young people to recognise IPV when it happens and empower our communities with ways to support friends, family, and colleagues to be a part of the solution.
“The problem of IPV is so big that we can no longer ignore its social, political, and economic impact it has in South Africa. We actively must create awareness and provide tools for a better tomorrow,” says Yumnaa Waja,GM at L’Oréal South Africa.
Sidwell Sehoana, monitoring and evaluation manager at ADAPT believes that IPV (which is known as a silent public health epidemic in South Africa according to a study done by the South African Medical Journal) is a learned behaviour which can be unlearned given a chance.
Nine warning signs to look out for in abusive intimate relationship include:
- When your partner ignores you on days that he/she is angry.
- Blackmailing you if you refuse to do something
- Humiliation
- Coerce you into doing or saying something.
- Jealousy over everything you do.
- Control over how you go and how you look.
- Going through your phone or tracking your location.
- Cutting you off from family and friends.
- Calling you crazy and instilling fear
If you suspect you’re in an abusive relationship or want to report an abusive incident, contact ADAPT on 011 885 3332 / 011 786 6608 for help.