Women continue to face immense barriers in tackling domestic violence. During COVID 19 the rate of domestic violence has gone up globally. As lockdowns progressed, the women in the grasp of domestic violence became easy victims. And sadly some had no access to any help.

Women play a very important part in uplifting communities and nations from poverty. A woman can change the lives of

those around her, her children, dependents, and as such need all the support we can give, as it affects not one life but the lives and futures of many Our help needs to be immediate and not dependent on charters to be drawn and policies to be formulated.

So, what are some of the ways we can do this?

1. Firstly, we must remember, the help we extend has to be through places the victims can go by themselves with no questions asked like the pharmacies, grocery stores, schools.

2. Information kiosks are a great way to offer a private area in any of the above locations where victims can talk in private – enabling them to open up, understanding what help is available, and seek that help.

3. Neighbors, friends, family need to be alert so they can pick up on anything that appears to be a red flag to a potential domestic violence situation.

4. Another important thing to do is to find out what are the local helpline numbers that one can call in case of emergency, share these within your class and your friends. Being an empowered change agent means you can make a difference by doing simple things.

5. There are several empowerment courses available, research these, and share them to help victims win back their confidence.

6. Financial independence is very important in this battle. What’s lacking is the knowledge of how one can get back on their feet again. The digital economy could be a great enabler for this. Helping set up kiosks for bake sales, school treats can be great ways of helping someone get back their confidence and their ability to provide for themselves and their children.

I’m sure you all have the ability to come up with several other ideas. Share them with us so we can ensure your ideas travel the world and have an impact on millions of communities and lives.