NOORDWESTER - LICHTENBURG - In an effort to address the high numbers of reported domestic violence, Gender-Based Violence and substance abuse cases around one of Lichtenburg’s local townships, Blydeville, Lichtenburg SAPS CPO and internal organizations within SAPS comprising of Women’s Network, Spiritual Crime Prevention, Wellness Champions, Crime Prevention Youth Desk, the FCS, CPF, Community in Blue deployed themselves to conduct crime-fighting and multi-disciplinary awareness campaign on gender-based violence and substance abuse today.
Role players that participated in this initiative included the DCSTM, NPA, Refentse Men’s Forum, Thusanang Trauma Centre, New Beginnings Support Group, GROGL and Love Life. This door to door campaign to raise awareness and prevent GBV and family violence are essential in influencing people’s attitudes as well as those of potential offenders in the community. Through this campaign, SAPS will educate the owners of this informal settlement about GBV&F prevention through one-on-one interactions. The goal is to influence potential perpetrators of GBV&F to change their behaviour, creating safer spaces and dispelling harmful beliefs that support femicide and gender-based violence.
Spiritual Crime Prevention representative also from Refentse Men’s Forum, Mr Feni opened with a prayer before presentations and engagements with people at Blydeville Clinic commenced. A short presentation was done at the clinic by different stakeholders to commemorate “16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children”.
W/O Mokwena from the Lichtenburg SAPS FCS addressed the audience on the services offered and rendered by the Family, Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units to victims. She urged the community to report sexual offences and violence perpetrated against women and children as well as the elderly. She clarified that the victim of rape should avoid taking a bath because the first seventy-two hours are crucial. In the event that you took a bath, the incident can still be reported. As a result, there may be cases that go back even farther than five years. She also emphasised how their unit is particularly worried about these crimes, which mostly happen to women returning home after a night out.
She pleaded with he neighbourhood to come forward and notify the police of any such incidents. And also to break the silence of abuse and how to access the services available to victims.
The NPA representative Ms Sekoto and Mr Mathye engaged with community members on GBV legislation and protective measures that can be instituted by the courts in South Africa. They also informed them about how people do not get the justice they deserve because of the number of cases that gets dropped by victims, then it’ s the very same victims that come back saying the justice system has failed them. She furthermore plead with the everyone to actually put themselves first so that they do not succumb to GBV, Rape and GBH which can lead to their deaths just because they are afraid. They must have patience that justice will be served.
After the presentation at the clinic, a door to door campaign in Blydeville Ext 3 was held.
Different community members were addressed about Gender Based Violence and domestic violence, as well as safety tips and urging community members to refrain from engaging in criminal activities and to report crime.
Residents were given various pamphlets with messages of support and general crime prevention safety tips. Forty family homes were visited.
GROGL chairperson Archbishop Mokgalagadi closed the event with a prayer and CPF chairperson Mr Ditibane thanked everyone for their participation.
(Report and photos: Boiketlo Gause CPO Intern)
