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Using codewords to protect against domestic violence

The Mail & Guardian

Using codewords to protect against domestic violence

A Cape Town women’s group is using coded text messages to help victims of gender-based violence and abuse get out of harm’s way

She also runs a lockdown feeding scheme mainly serving women, who line up to get a meal for their family. Here, new words are conveyed, check-ins are conducted and it’s also a way to get women to safety. Since the lockdown began, Peters has been responsible for making sure four women have been moved to a place of safety.

“It’s the women who come and collect food for their families, or would have fed their children at night, so would come to get something for themselves in the morning. This would be our opportunity to take them to shelters,” she says.

Using coded phone messages to reach out for help is not new. In November 2019, an American woman in Ohio called the 911 emergency number to order a pizza; it was her call for help after an attack inside her home.

Since the onset of the lockdown, support groups and NGOs have noted an increase in gender-based violence. Police Minister Bheki Cele announced that in the first five days of the lockdown, between March 27 and March 31, about 2300 complaints had been received by the national gender-violence hotline. Of those, 148 suspects were charged.

“The violence moved inside the home. But it’s so difficult with people having to decide whether to buy data for their cellphone or a loaf of bread. And of course, a mother is going to choose a loaf of bread,” says Peters

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@honeycocoanut

hollywood is such a dark, scary place and the celebs are no better. no matter how “sweet” or “unproblematic” some celebs may seem to the public, i’ll always assume they’re satanic pedos or abusers or whatever (i do feel for the celebs that have been abused and what not). i went to LA (the tourist area) and i felt so lonely and just out of place. the people were so vile and i saw a couple a-list celebs in weho and they all looked so depressed.

Inherently Hollywood is dark, I hope my deep dives have really made that clear. A true A lister (especially with long term staying power) has to do something truly evil to stay. Travis and Astroworld since I covered it is a great example…but they’re all dark and fake that whole industry is, even artists I love I know did evil. Like Ye I honestly truly in my heart of hearts believe is trying to repent…that he deeply in his soul knows he may not be saved but wants his children to be saved…that doesn’t mean he didn’t sell his soul and give up the person he loved the most, like that’s about as evil as you can get…but yeah that’s Hollywood …

I still feel for celebrities because Hollywood is just a fucked up mirror, a reflection of the western World…it’s just if every vice was accessible all the time…so ofc evil occurs all the time and abuse is systematic and circular…

I’m an East Coast girl but I have no desire to go to LA, every celebrity experience I’ve had has been sad, especially Rob Kdash…they’re always miserable…like they have to sell it as being alluring and imo wealth is alluring but fame..idgi…idk how ppl do not see through it…it is all so darksided…hopefully in our lifetimes Hollywood will be gone…they act infallible but really this is a niche micro culture that has been around for only about 100 years…it can be destroyed and I pray for its destruction🖤

fr tho why is everything smut😭😭 i wanna read angst that would ruin me, make me sick to my stomach and cry like there's no tomorrow bro i want a fanfic that is so devastating that i won't be able to function for the next few months