Pepper spray and self-defence classes — in the absence of appropriate help from the state, women are doing it for themselves
SA women are gearing up for International Women’s Day on Sunday with pepper spray pop-up stalls and rape prevention workshops so they feel safer on their daily commutes.
About 3,000 women were murdered in SA in 2018 — more than five-times the global average, according to the World Health Organisation — as the nation struggles to overcome a history of violence and profound inequality. “Carrying pepper spray with me hasn’t given me complete freedom, just less fear to walk 200m down the road,” said Moshodi, who left her job as a life-skills coach for vulnerable youth to campaign full-time.
Jennifer Brown, a self-defence trainer for women in Johannesburg since 2014, says basic skills can “save lives”. “Violence against women is a global problem,” says Brown who has trained an estimated 8,500 women in rape prevention workshops but is not part of Moshodi’s campaign. “But it does feel more violent and more brutal here in SA.”
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