Advocacy group Gender Links will mark the "16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children", beginning on Saturday, by encouraging people to join its online Cyber Dialogues portal.
The Cyber Dialogues initiative gives women a public place to share their stories, and encourage other women to speak out and take action against violence they may endure.
Kubi Rama, CEO of the Gender and Media Southern Africa Network, says 1 560 people are registered and participating in the online chats and discussion forums.
Cyber Dialogues, which is part of the Gender Links Web site, has been running for a year. The main benefits of the portal, says Rama, are providing a platform for people from different countries to meet and keep regular contact, and increasing women's access to ICT, which helps demystify technology for women, while using it for a specific purpose.
While she admits many women suffering domestic violence may not have access to the Internet, Rama says Gender Links has established partnerships with government's communications service and various community centres.
One contributor to the site tells her story, part of which reads: "It all began in December 2004, when my husband dragged and assaulted me, the first of what came to be a tradition of beatings. I carried this burden and secret silently for two years, praying for relief. I never spoke about what happened to me because I was ashamed to do so."
"Ultimately, we need to lobby for universal access," says Rama.
The discussion forums include debates over legislation issues, and whether the media is part of the problem or the solution in gender violence.
A briefing session, open to all, and hosted by the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, will take place in Johannesburg tomorrow. It is designed to take stock of progress since the 365 Days of Action to end Gender Violence conference in May.
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