But what if the woman knows that she's in an abusive relationship?

Meanwhile, many more men - and women - will commit more atrocious acts of abuse during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, as if to show South Africans that no amount of campaigning will eradicate this dark element from our society.

Money has been spent again this year on flyers, posters, T-shirts and workshops to draw attention to the campaign.

The campaign itself will raise a small fraction of the amount spent to help organisations that assist the victims of abuse.

After all the T-shirts and pamphlets have been distributed, the abuse of women and the cycle of poverty that allows this behaviour to fester and spread will continue.

Many of the women who had enough courage to talk about their abuse and cry for help will find that beyond the campaign, there aren't many options out there to rescue and keep them away from a life of abuse.

I support awareness campaigns; they are the equivalent of a neighbour who asks a woman who is being beaten by her husband: "Do you know that he's not supposed to hit you?

"Do you know that he could be arrested? "Do you know that you have rights?"

If the woman didn't know that her husband's behaviour had a name and that there were laws against it, she would know now.

But what if the woman knows that she's in an abusive relationship and is aware of her rights?

Then the neighbour soon realises that there's a bigger, more complex problem at issue, one that needs not only a campaign, but support structures to help women get out of the cycle of abuse.

The establishment of the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities was a ray of hope to many women, churches and community based organisations.

But six months later, their hope is undermined by reports that the ministry is in disarray and is struggling to find its feet.

Proof of this was the report that the ministry had indicated it would not be able to take charge of one of its core campaigns, the 16 days of activism.

I'm dismayed and encouraged at the same time by the fact that the ministry is having a hard time setting its structures and defining its role in helping women, youth, children and people with disabilities.

I will not be too quick to take the ministry's state of disarray as a sign that Minister Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya is out of her depth.

I hope that, as a trained nurse who has had to deal with victims of abuse, young and old, and is aware of the complexities of abuse in South Africa and the role poverty plays in fuelling this scourge, her department is looking at other ways to deal with this issue.

I hope that, 10 years after the South African launch of the global 16-days of activism campaign, Mayende-Sibiya's ministry will come to the conclusion that the government's interventions to prevent the abuse of women and children have to be backed up by a little more than just a 16-day campaign.