Lingelethu West Police station held a discussion on gender-based violence at Uyesu Nathi in Khayelitsha.
As the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign came to an end, Lingelethu West police station, in partnership with various stakeholders, held a round table discussion on gender-based violence (GBV).
Lingelethu West police station spokesperson, Sergeant Xoliswa Nyalambisa, said the event, held at Uyesu Nathi in Khayelitsha last Tuesday, was about looking at factors which contribute to gender-based violence, and seeing where they had succeeded or failed in plans to eradicate the scourge.
She said gender-based violence is not one of the major incidents reported within their policing precinct, however, they wanted to be proactive in dealing with it.
“We have identified that we need to intensify our partnership with various stakeholders because we have seen that through our partnership we are yielding positive outcomes.
“We have also noted that when we pull together, the little resources that we have, we are able to achieve more instead of working alone.
“We have seen where we think we need to improve and we have seen what works and we want to commence next year with a different approach.
“Gender-based violence cases and incidents remain one of the top priorities at the station and we want to ensure that the community sees our efforts,” she said.
Sergeant Nyalambisa called on the community to partner with them and not let them take on the fight alone.
One of the key guest speakers, Tshepo Sikupela, who is a lawyer by profession, urged women to uplift themselves so that they do not depend on men.
She called on women to prioritise their health, speak up against gender-based violence and not suffer in silence.
Chairperson of the Spiritual Desk at Lingelethu Police West Police station, Zandile Mbeki, said it was essential that the station reflects on how it has done in terms of fighting gender-based violence.
She said they emphasised that men need to take centre stage in fighting gender-based violence because the harsh reality is that they were mostly the perpetrators of it.
The United Nations 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign takes place annually from November 25 (International Day of No Violence against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day).