Many parents believe their children are too young to be affected by violence in the home. However, studies are showing that a number of symptoms such as the inability to concentrate, depression, withdrawal and social isolation, poor school performance, nightmares and bedwetting can be traced to the stress experienced by children who witness violence in the home. Many children who witness violence display signs of post traumatic stress disorder similar to those found in children who witness war.

International research also shows that children who grow up in homes where there is violence are at risk of repeating the cycle of abuse in their own lives.

"Since parents are a child's first significant role models, their behaviour has a strong impact on their children, "says Dr Shereen Usdin of the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication. "Abusive fathers are sending a powerful message to their children that it is acceptable to solve problems with violence and that men have a right to control and exert power over women."

Usdin is project manager of the Soul City 4 series, a television, radio and print media campaign which uses drama to address a range of health and development issues. The television drama part of this fourth series is currently showing on SABC1. A major focus of the series is on violence against women. Through its information booklets, its prime time television drama and the radio drama which is broadcast on nine stations in nine different languages, the project reaches millions of South Africans.

The aim of the project is to challenge attitudes around violence in the home. The television series features a boy whose father has been abusing his mother. The boy in turn hits a girl at school. "Through the series, we are alerting the public to the potential for intergenerational cycles of violence and abuse," says Usdin. "We need to break this cycle."

According to Usdin, society has to take an active stand on the issue. "This is not simply a 'women's issue'. Domestic violence is a human rights violation on women and needs to be addressed as such."

"The impact of domestic violence is extensive. It exacts a tremendous toll on society through its impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of women and also on the children who witness it. It impacts on relatives, friends and the workplace - on those who get caught in the cross-fire. It teaches children that violence is a means to solve problems. It also acts as a major barrier to development as many women are restricted, through this violence, from participating actively in society."

The programmes, whilst gripping their viewers with strong storylines, also highlight ways in which audiences can seek help. A number of aspects of the new Domestic Violence Act, which comes into effect this year, are illustrated.

For example, the Act allows for the acquisition of a Protection Order which prevents further abuse. Disobeying the order can result in the abuser's arrest and imprisonment for up to five years. The law also places a duty on the police to assist. They must explain what the women's rights are under the new law and help her find a safe place to stay or medical attention if she needs this. Failure to comply can result in disciplinary action.

Soul City has formed a partnershiip with the National Network on Violence against Women to provide support to audiences in need of help. The Network is a coalition of government and non-governmental organisations working to eradicate violence against women. Audiences will be connected to Network organisations at community level, through a tollfree "stop women abuse" helpline established together with the Department of Justice and managed by Lifeline. The number is 0800-150-150.

Members of the public who need help or would like to help someone they know who is being abused will be encouraged to phone. "We hope that viewers who identify with the story of domestic violence in Soul City will be moved to seek help," says Usdin.

Soul City is sponsored by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the European Union, Kagiso Trust, Old Mutual and BP.