Community safety stakeholders strategise for an effective GBV campaign
With GBV impacting millions of South African women, Alexandra's community safety stakeholders are rallying to combat the epidemic through an upcoming awareness campaign.
The Community Policing Forum, GBV Brigades, The Salvation Army and South African Police Services are determined to tackle the scourge of GBV in the community.
During a recent meeting at Alexandra Police Station on May 3, the stakeholders strategised on the effective approach they needed to use in their upcoming GBV campaign on May 23 to enhance community participation, openness and cooperation.
The chairperson of the CPF Sarah Matomeamohale remarked on the high rate of GBV incidents in Alexandra and emphasised that there was a need for urgent action. “We hear issues around GBV every day. Crime affects us all, so we need to come together; we do not have time.”
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During the meeting, the stakeholders raised numerous issues, including challenges that hampered their progress in dealing with GBV. Centre of Transfiguration Pastor Nkosinathi Ntabeni said a critical hurdle remained the reluctance of survivors to come forward. “People in Sector 2 are conservative. They don’t report cases. We should go to them, so they can speak in their privacy… At times, when we go to where they are, we will be able to see the challenges they face,” he noted.
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Giving his input, The Salvation Army’s VCV Malala stressed that Gauteng North ranked among South Africa’s top 30 GBV hotspots, noting that this demanded a shift from reaction to prevention. Additionally, Malala said they needed to take a different approach in their GBV campaign because traditional outreach efforts faced resistance.
“People have attended GBV events before but now they want solutions,” he said. “They don’t like formal things, such as the old traditional way of sitting down and having information presented to them… we should demarcate a community, focus on it, and talk to residents.”
The stakeholders proposed establishing first-stop reporting desks to bridge the gap between traumatised survivors and formal police processes. These desks would offer anonymity, encouraging victims to step forward without fear.
Matomeamohale stressed that they needed the support of community members in tackling the GBV epidemic. She further noted that members of the public should attend the meetings.
The stakeholders will hold another meeting on May 20, three days before the campaign.
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