In an effort to encourage victims of gender-based violence (GBV) and the community to speak out against the scourge, the Philippi Department of Social Development together with the Beautifulgate South Africa marched in various areas during the launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign on Monday morning, November 25.
The United Nations (UN) campaign takes place annually from November 25 (International Day of No Violence against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day).
Lower Crossroads residents together with stakeholders including Mosaic, the South African Police Service (SAPS), neighbourhood watch, Cesvi, Sizakuyenza and Amandla Development walked the streets of the area protesting the high levels of crime.
On Monday, residents embarked on a peace walk to deliver a message that crime will not be tolerated in the area and encouraged residents to speak out against crime, especially GBV.
Under the theme “Amplify your Voice”, the event called for residents to unite.
Philippi Department of Social Development officer Mawonga Gala said the walk was for them as officer bearers and those who have a voice to go out and preach the gospel of safety and put an end to GBV.
He said there are people out there who have no clue where to report GBV and are quiet about it.
“This is not about us as officer bearers but for the millions that are abused and keep quiet about it. We are here to encourage them to speak out. When we are active, people find strength.”
He said his department felt a need to stand up and march on the streets to warn the GBV perpetrators that enough is enough.
He said there should be marches throughout the year to stop the scourge. “It is about time that we do these marches 365 days a year. We need to walk and encourage people throughout the year,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer at the Beautifulgate NPO, Minah Koela, described the walk as a way to send a strong message to the criminals in the area but also for people to connect with God.
Ms Koela criticised how people think when it comes to churches and abuse. She said abuse is everywhere and is done by most people irrespective of their positions. She called on churches to be the voice and lead by example. “The church is also rotten when it comes to GBV. There is a lot of abuse there. If the religious community can stand up, the impact would be massive.”
She led people in prayer before going to the streets and advised people to be open-minded when they talk about GBV.
Ms Koela said most people always talk about abuse by men while there are also men who are abused and being assaulted by their spouses.
She encouraged people to contribute in any way to end the abuse. “We all contribute in small ways when it comes to abuse. Let us all look at ourselves. A perpetrator is a perpetrator, and a victim is a victim no matter who you are. There are men that are under abuse but are not speaking out. It is not only men who are perpetrators. Finally, let us trust the justice system,” she said. She urged people to pray for Lower Crossroads and other areas too.
Also present during the launch was Advocate Gregory Niemand from the National Prosecuting Authority(NPA) who described GBV and a pandemic that needs to be eradicated.
He said the NPA has realised that it cannot keep prosecuting people without helping them. They felt they should be part of educating people about GBV.
“We always assume that people are aware of what GBV is but there are people who do not know what abuse is, who do not know where to report it. We should be passionate about fighting abuse,” said Advocate Niemand.
The walk started at the Beautifulgate premises and proceeded all around the Philippi East area and back.
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