Get Your Pepper-Spray (And Use It), Anti-Violence Campaigners Say

Pepper spray pop-up stalls and rape prevention workshops were set up on March 8^th in South Africa as part of International Women’s Day, educating women on how to defend themselves in the event of an attack.

A woman is murdered every three hours in South Africa, so entrepreneur Karabo Moshodi founded the #PepperSprayCampaign in Johannesburg to train women basic self-defense before handing them a spray. Though the sprays can be easily found and purchased in the country, many women are still unaware that they can be used as defense, so 26-year-old Moshodi hopes to “re-educate on the benefits of pepper spray”.

“We are breaking down taboos and myths around women having the right to protect themselves,” says Moshodi, who bought 1,000 sprays with the help of crowdfunding, to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The city has been showing its support to the #PepperSprayCampaign, providing publicity help, as well as public spaces and police. Moshodi adds, “The city has plans to help expand the campaign to possibly tens of thousands of women.”