"What happens in a place like South Africa, it's a very racial place," said Malick, the clinic doctor. "People tend to keep within themselves even if they live in a black neighborhood. It's not a very open society. Expression is absent - totally."

Segona agrees.

"You know it was like he was raping me, and I used to take it," said Segona. "I thought he was my husband, and it was okay. I would think 'Oh God let him come and beat me so then I could get some sleep.' That was everyday of my life."

Makhetha, who grew up watching her father abuse her mother, said People Opposing Women's Abuse is dedicated to letting women know that abuse should not be a tenant of marriage. "We're still at a very early stand of addressing issues of domestic violence," said Makhetha. "Because we were concerned with political oppression for a very long time, the women have been behind their men in the struggle for freedom. Now that we've achieved political freedom, the women are starting to focus their energies on issues that affect us."

Makhetha and the members of her organization spend a great deal of time trying to educate women in rural areas and in schools. The 25-year-old said the prevailing attitude of black South African women towards domestic violence is one of acceptance.

"Some of the attitudes that you get from young people, you want to strangle them," said Makhetha. "It was found that one in three school girls has been a victim of a sexual offense. They just see it as something that will inevitably happen. They think its a sign of his manhood. He's showing me that he's the boss because a man who does not do this, he's a sissy."

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