At 12:25 today the number of rapes this month reached a staggering 45 402, according to Blow the Whistle.

Blow the Whistle is an anti-rape initiative that works at empowering women and children by giving them their voices back. It aims to give vulnerable women and children platforms to feel safe, by creating awareness of the crisis of rape in South Africa.

Watch the video:

“In August 2014, statistically there’ll be a total of 74,400 rapes,” said Mike Rowley, Director of Blow the Whistle. “Even though we fight this battle every day, August is the month we’ll make our biggest stand yet.”

Their online counter can be seen on the Blow the Whistle Website until the end of August as part of their “How Many More?” campaign.

By supplying physical whistles and through the use of a mobile app, the initiative attempts to make sure that women never have to feel alone.

“Talking about rape seems to be taboo, but if we are going to make a difference, we need to acknowledge that there’s an epidemic. Only then can we proactively work to reduce this scourge,” Rowley said.