Cleo Bodibe-Lushaba: I feel GBV requires more attention in our communities. People are still unaware of certain types of abuse happening to them, so we still need to educate a lot, but most importantly, we need to support the victims.
Community members who attended the Awuyeke Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) dialogue on Friday received valuable insights into what gender-based violence is and how to deal with it.
During the dialogue, we asked attendees if they believe enough effort is being made to bring attention to and raise awareness about GBV.
Here are some of the responses we received:
Lerato Mothapo: We still lack awareness. Last year, we had 944 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 give birth, and they were reported as teenage pregnancies instead of cases of statutory rape. We still need campaigns to teach the young people.
Khanyisile Mnisi: Yes, there is sufficient attention via social media and word of mouth, and we often read about it in newspapers. So yes, there is enough awareness about GBV. However, the victims are afraid to speak because of the fear of being stigmatised.
Patricia Nyamandi: Yes, there is an efficient and sufficient plan by the Department of Justice, wherein we ensure that the community is assisted with domestic violence applications. When you visit our court to lodge your complaint, you get assisted.
Ntokozo Nzima: I feel there isn’t much awareness, especially among males. Many male figures do not know certain things about GBV. We need to be taught and have workshops so that men can learn.
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