The power of social media in the fight against GBV

28 November 2022

A woman who responded to the tragic murder of 29-year-old, Meghan Cremer, launched the Facebook group, SA Women Fight Back, on 8 August 2019. Today this is a powerful, non-profit organisation empowering victims of #GBV.

This closed group for women over the age of 18 was found by Bronwyn Litkie and stands at 245 000 members. Its website, www.sawomenfightback.com, is an online portal for victims to receive help.

“The response to the Facebook-group showed how great the need was for vulnerable women who had been isolated and had nowhere to go. It also showed how the South African Police Services (SAPS) and justice system failed victims,” says Lizet Rosen, Head of the Johannesburg Section of SA Women Fight Back who manages the Group.

Martlé Keyter, #MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations, joined the group a few years ago. She has been striving to eliminate violence and harassment wherever she goes, for the past 28 years.

Keyter saw the CCTV footage posts of the brutal attacks on Nicoleen Swart by her husband, Jaco Swart. The footage went viral when Jaco Swart was fined R20 000 after pleading guilty to charges of assault.

Swart was the owner of a dealership in Pretoria at the time of the incidents.

Keyter realised that Nicoleen was a #MISA member, she joined #MISA when she started working as a Personal Assistant in KwaZulu-Natal.

This year, Keyter ensured that #MISA takes the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign to the next level to educate victims and raise awareness after Nicoleen agreed to be the #MISA Face Against #GBV for 2022.

Rosen created the powerful #GBV video, Enough is Enough, the theme song of #MISA’s campaign.

“I listened to the words of the song while imagining the faces of all the angels who lost their lives due to #GBV. The video is a testimonial to their lost lives.

“Everyone behind the scenes on the Group have their own story to tell and understand how hard it is to break the abusive circle. Every day we assist women who say they are ready to escape from the abusive relationship, but then go back.

“We know how alone and afraid you feel even if you are in a room surrounded by people,” says Rosen.

If you need help, visit www.sawomenfightback.com. You can join the Group on Facebook, Instagram, www.instagram.com/sawomenfb/, Twitter https://twitter.com/sawomenfb1/ or follow the Group on LinkedIn www.linkdin.com/company/sawomenfb/