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
What may seem like an innocuous message enquiring about a traditional Cape Flats Sunday morning treat is actually a cry for help.
Because of the lockdown, many of these women are unable to leave their homes. They’re spending extended periods of time indoors with their abusers and are at great risk of violence. Peters says she tells the women on the other side of the WhatsApp line that because it is a lockdown, they are not supposed to move around. But the koesiester seller has a permit to deliver — this is how Peters obtains the address of the possible victim.
If ever Peters receives a message from a woman in her database asking about the price of koesiesters, then she knows violence is imminent. Its success has possibly become almost too good. The koesiester code has become so well-known that Peters fears that abusers may have become aware of it. So she’s continuously innovating to develop new codewords so that women can reach out to her.
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.
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