currently our TV screens and newspaper
headlines are continually splashed with
horrific stories of abuse, rape and murder.
seen some of the most horrific murders
and rapes to date. One such crime was the
gang rape and murder of Anene Booysen,
a 17-year-old girl from Cape Town, who
was reportedly alive for a number of hours
after being attacked, before she was found.
Due to the nature of her horrific injuries,
she was unable to cry out for help or alert
anyone. This lack of voice, together with the
rising crime stats, has led Legacy Lifestyle
to create the "Blow the Whistle" initiative, a
campaign that seeks to give all woman and
children a voice. If Anene had been wearing
a whistle which she could have blown in her
time of danger, would that have saved her
life?
all South African women and children, and
in turn all South African citizens as a whole,
through the manufacturing and distribution
of whistles. It is hoped that these whistles
will be worn by all women and children and
eventually all South African citizens.
as a mechanism to call for help when in
times of need or when they are in trouble.
That men and all citizens will listen and
react to these calls of help and that we will
all work together to assist in keeping each
other safe, and ultimately reducing crime in
South Africa in its entirety. In addition, the
proceeds from the sale of the whistles will
be used to purchase rape kits to ensure the
collection of the right forensic data that will
ultimately lead to the correct prosecution of
rapists.
of vulnerability, none more so than when
they are alone. Although it is impossible to
prevent all women and children from being
physically accompanied by someone at all
whistles will assist in raising the alarm. To
this end the company has also developed
another more pervasive answer, through the
use of technology, in the form of the Blow
the Whistle mobi application.
used on iOS and Android initially, with
Blackberry and Windows versions in
development. The app, which is equipped
with a panic button, enables the user to
nominate four trusted guardians to watch
over them when they're alone.
need for help by using the panic button
function.
allows the user to select their destination
and estimate their time of arrival. This
guardians. If the allocated time is coming
to an end, the app prompts the user to
enter a security code to stop or to extend
the trip. When the code is not entered,
or if it's entered incorrectly three times, a
notification is sent to the guardians along
with the user's coordinates.
South Africans. The Legacy Lifestyle team
and the Blow the Whistle campaign has
also partnered with the SABC Foundation
as its media partner and already has a list
of well-known South African celebrities from
different industry sectors supporting the
cause. These celebrities currently include,
but are not limited to:
Tsepo Masilela , and Gary Player to name
a few
and get involved. Firstly through assisting
with creating awareness of the campaign,
secondly by encouraging people to wear
the whistles or to use the application, and
we no longer turn a deaf ear, but stand up
when we hear a whistle and assist whoever
might be in need.
get involved by pledging to the cause or
buying a whistle. If you are a celebrity, an
influential businessperson or community
leader you can sign up as an ambassador
of the initiative. As a business you can buy
into the initiative by purchasing whistles for
your staff and your customers. Retailers
can provide an environment where these
whistles can be stocked, displayed and
sold. If you are in the media you can partner
with the Blow the Whistle team to raise the
necessary awareness needed to make this
initiative a success.
pledge donations, and anonymously sign
the pledge database that will then be
used as a petition to raise awareness at
the highest echelons of the South Africa
government.
putting their own voices behind the fight
against crime. Why? Because they realise
that as South Africans we need to rise up
to help ourselves and to help each other.
By blowing the whistle on rape, abuse and
crime we are going to collectively take back
our streets, our homes and our pride.
whistle.co.za
Facebook:/WhistleSA
Twitter: @WhistleSA
#Whistle
· 176 rapes are reported
· 148 is the average number of crimes
marital rape
conviction