Silent Rights is an organisation that was started by Chantelle Morrison from Florentia to help women of domestic abuse and gender-based violence.
“I felt like no one heard what I was experiencing or saying. I felt silenced, not just by the abuser but by our judicial system too. As a victim, you feel your rights are silenced, especially when there are children in the mix, and that is where the name Silent Rights came from,” said Chantelle.
The organisation helps women throughout South Africa.
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Chantelle’s story
Chantelle is a mother of a two-year-old boy who is the light of her life.
“He reminds me of the beauty and importance of life,” she said.
She recently became a certified life coach and NLP practitioner to help women more effectively.
“I also manage a group of companies in a male-dominated industry. But most importantly, I am an advocate for women’s rights and empowerment.”
She is all about learning, growing and sharing what she learns.
After being in an abusive relationship, people told her to go for therapy.
“But how do you pay for therapy when you have to pay an attorney?
“My relationship involved psychological and emotional abuse, and it just broke me,” she said.
“It is hard being in an abusive relationship, but it is even harder when you leave. After I had experienced abuse, I tried to reach out to various organisations for help and guidance but all I got was ‘get therapy to deal with it’. But in reality, is not just as simple as that. Most women cannot afford therapy.
“So many women cannot afford an attorney. Most women share children with their abusers. Most women have no idea how they even ended up as a victim. You are surrounded by so much fog and you have no idea how or where to go from there.
“I founded this organisation and in doing so I found myself.”
Foundation to create awareness
Silent Rights was launched on August 3, 2020.
“I started a social media page to create awareness around domestic abuse, specifically psychological and emotional abuse with me also sharing my experience with other victims. I wanted women to know they are not alone.
“I wanted to share everything I had learnt with any woman who could benefit from it. Unfortunately, our judicial system is not black and white, there is a whole lot of grey area to navigate and I wanted to share this knowledge with women who could not afford an attorney to guide them,” Chantelle said.
The organisation grew faster than Chantelle ever imagined.
Women reached out to her, thanking her for sharing her story and asking for help and advice.
“Women wanted to get involved and contribute. Together we started a little community of victims and survivors determined to make a change for no other reason than they had been there before and know what it takes to get through it.”
Ever-growing
Silent Rights is on the tongues of many South African women, as the organisation grew and expanded quite quickly.
They now have three directors and nine official volunteers around South Africa. Many of the women who came to them as victims have become leaders in the support group. All of these volunteers are also working a full-time job.
“It was very important that we are not limited to who we could help, so we made sure we can help any woman of South Africa, no matter where she is, no matter what her circumstances are. We will help.”
Since their WhatsApp line was launched in December, 527 women have contacted them for help.
According to Chantelle, to become a volunteer one must have compassion, understanding and patience.
“We all heal in our own time, we need to allow every woman to process and heal in their own time while being supportive and understanding.”
How do they help victims?
“Our support group is probably one of the most amazing initiatives we have created. Women from all walks of life and who have experienced a variety of abuse and violence are all on one platform to help each other, to support each other and to share their experiences and advice.”
They offer free counselling and life coaching sessions.
“We have a physical wellness initiative where we have yoga and boxing sessions. We have an entrepreneurial initiative to help women build their skills and knowledge so they can become more financially stable so that no woman has to depend on their abuser financially,” Chantelle added.
“We have shoulders to cry on and good listening ears. A victim wants to be heard and validated, we offer them that.”
Other than doing everything possible to help women of abuse, they have been approached by abusers who need help changing, and they have helped them too.“This was never a focus for us; however, we would not turn anyone away. Helping an abuser could prevent a woman getting hurt in the future.”
During the lockdown, they have not been able to host any events to create even more awareness, but they have been doing everything online.
They share information about what abuse is, what your rights are and what you can do about it, like how to apply for a protection order, open a case, daily. One of the hardest cases for Chantelle so far has involved children and those of police brutality.
“We have had some tough cases and they have taken a toll on all of us, but we have learnt and grown with each and every victim we have helped.”
Vision and mission
“You are not alone. We want every woman who has been hurt to know they are not alone. We may not have all the answers or solutions, but we are here to figure it out with them.”
They are planning to open shelters where women can focus on rehabilitation and skills development.“Abuse affects every area of a woman’s life, rebuilding your life is hard. We want to give women all the tools they need to rebuild a better life for themselves and their children.
“We have not received any funding whatsoever. This has not yet been a focus for us. We have our hands full of support. We have never relied on funding to help victims and ensured we can help them without cost and at no cost.
“It helps that all of us are full-time employed and not doing this for a living. Our hearts are what drives this initiative.”
When asked what was one thing she would change for women in South Africa, she said that she is a realistic person, so she knows she can’t wish abuse, violence or inequality away.“But a great start would be for our officials to take victims seriously. Not only do we have to fight abusers and fight for our basic human rights, but we are forced to fight a flawed judicial system too,” Chantelle said.
Be part of the change
“We are not about making a big noise, attending strikes or marches, nothing like that. We are focused on helping women. All of our members have experienced abuse and violence. We know what victims are dealing with and feeling, and we do what it takes to help them through the process,” she said.
People can message them on their WhatsApp number on 079 027 9954, send an email to info@silentrights.co.za, visit their website (www.silentrights.co.za) or find them on social media @SilentRightsSA
Contact the newsroom by emailing:
Marietta Lombard (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, or (Journalists) Busi Vilakazi busiv@caxton.co.za
