Lesego Makgatho
WITH 16 Days of Activism ahead of us, power bank rental network for mobile devices, Adoozy Power partners with Women INPowered and the Bold Empowered Affirmed Revived (BEAR) Foundation to launch a national personal protection campaign.
Despite the ongoing campaigning and robust legislation aimed at curbing domestic violence, sexual violence, and femicide, South Africa’s gender-based violence (GBV) statistics rise every year, and the numbers, shocking as they are, never tell the whole story. Research routinely shows that most victims of GBV do not report crimes against them. Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa described GBV in South Africa as a pandemic.
November 25 marks the start of the United Nations 16 Days of Activism against GBV, and this year Adoozy, Women INPowered and BEAR Foundation launch a new personal protection initiative for high school girls and young women at universities.
This involves free workshops that teach young women that they have choices if they find themselves in a threatening situation.
Rather than focusing on traditional self-defence training, which is often ineffective due to the long hours required, the workshops help the participants identify layers of safety to raise their awareness of potential threats.
Most importantly, it will teach them one critical life-saving physical defence technique that does not require hours of ongoing training.
The Adoozy INPowered campaign kicked off last Wednesday, with the first two-hour personal protection workshop, at Itirele Zenzele Secondary school in Diepsloot with Grade 11 and 12 female learners. From January 2023, the campaign will roll out to universities across the country.
Chief executive of Adoozy, Kegan Peffer said they were delighted to join forces with Women INPowered and the women’s rights organisation, the BEAR Foundation.
“This initiative is close to our hearts.
“As a provider of rental power banks to keep mobile users connected, we have a deep belief that a charged phone is a vital safety asset.
“For girls walking to and from school, or university students out and about in the town, your phone keeps you connected and helps to mitigate your vulnerabilities.
“It’s an important layer of safety.
“We’re delighted to join forces with Women INPowered and the women’s rights organisation, the BEAR Foundation to take meaningful action that can help South African women and girls stay safer as they go about their lives,” Peffer said.
Research conducted by Adoozy among young women showed that 23% had felt unsafe over the past week when they were out of their homes, and 33% had felt unsafe within the past month.
Meanwhile 50% of the respondents said they did not know how to defend themselves if they needed to, and more than 55% said they were unsure of the warning signs they should look out for in a potentially threatening situation.
Executive director and project manager at the BEAR Foundation, Nomzamo Gcwensa said the safety of women in this country is still a major concern and more needs to be done.
“It’s fantastic that a school community we work with will be participating in the Adoozy INPowered Campaign. As far as the freedom and safety of women are concerned, South African women are still left behind.
“Violence against women has profound, lifelong impacts.
“We have found that the unsafe school environment is linked to dropping out of school and poor school performance, to mention just a few,” Gcwensa said.
Throughout the campaign, Adoozy will also be presenting new personal safety features built into their power bank rental service.
Adoozy’s marketing and communications manager Mathabo Sekhonyana said: “We are launching a new safety feature in our app which includes a safety guideline and checklist to help users identify the signs of a potentially dangerous situation and take the right action to get themselves to safety.
“Our users have on-the-go lifestyles, and they need to be clear about what to do if they encounter a threat.
“Knowledge and awareness, and the security of a charged phone can help them avoid harm and enjoy the freedom to live their best lives.”
Adoozy’s Safety Tips include:
- Do not leave home with a flat phone battery, and always have a plan to stay charged up throughout the day or night
- Always share your live location from your phone when you go out to public spaces
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Set up ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts on your phone
- Avoid taking an uber or any taxi service by yourself
- Don’t go to public bathrooms by yourself especially if the bathroom is empty
Trust your instincts – if the situation doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Don’t wait around to see if you are right, remove yourself immediately.