A young Lost City entrepreneur has written a book aimed at assisting and motivating survivors of gender-based violence.
Mujaheed Martin, 21, started an e-hailing service for Mitchells Plain clients during lockdown last year after he noticed similar service providers ignoring the area due to safety concerns.
Last week he launched his e-book called Our Lives Begin To End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter, telling the stories of female victims of GBV.
“It contains testimonies of women living on the Cape Flats who went through traumatic experiences such as being molested, rape, coming out of abusive relationships and so forth,” says Mujaheed.
"The purpose of my book is to give the victim the opportunity to vent and break their silence without having their identities exposed.
“I decided to write this book because GBV is a massive problem in our communities and country as a whole.
“A lot of females experience these horrendous events, but they fear being judged by others if they should speak about it, so they remain quiet, resulting in so many perpetrators getting away with their actions.”
Mujaheed says he invited women to tell their stories via WhatsApp and Facebook and were surprised to find relatives and friends replying.
“Some of the people who contacted me were some of my own friends who I never thought actually went through this, some were my clients, and random people on Facebook.
“It turned out that quite a number of people who spoke out felt relieved because they have been carrying this on their shoulders for years.”
Many of the women also wanted others to learn from their experiences.
Mujaheed says he hopes to print his book soon, but for now is selling the digital format.
To order his book, call Mujaheed on 068 286 8010.
venecia.america@inl.co.za