Charlize Theron donates R19m to help domestic violence victims during pandemic

“During this unprecedented global crisis, we are being told to shelter in the safety of our homes – but what if our homes aren’t safe?” Charlize Theron asked in her latest Instagram post, saying we need to shed light on domestic violence amid the global pandemic.

With her post, the 44-year-old announced the launch of Together For Her, a campaign to support women around the world, as we continue to battle the coronavirus while domestic violence cases surge in the wake of it all.

In South Africa, the number of calls coming in has spiked. The gender-based violence command centre in Tshwane has reported that the daily number of calls doubled in the first four days of lockdown, while data-free messages to the centre’s phone number increased more than tenfold and SMSes streamed in at double the usual daily rate. By 11 April, 8764 calls had been made since the lockdown started.

“For the millions of women and children around the world sheltering with their abuser, home can be dangerous,” the award-winning actress, who’s spoken out before about her father abusing her mother during her upbringing in South Africa, wrote.

The Bombshell star revealed she’d be pledging $1 million (R19 million) to coronavirus relief efforts, with $500 000 (R9.5 million) of it going towards the campaign.

“Our rallying cry is this: Please join us in showing women experiencing domestic violence that they are not alone – we are behind them, with them, for them, #TogetherForHer,” she said.

– Channel24

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.