GBV Brigades and police meet ahead of major campaign
With just a few days to go, GBV Brigades and SAPS members held a follow-up meeting to finalise their plans ahead of the upcoming GBV campaign.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Brigades and Alexandra police officials held a follow-up meeting to finalise their plans ahead of their upcoming GBV awareness campaign on May 23
The meeting, held at the 3rd Avenue Children’s Library on May 20, focused on finalising strategies to maximise the impact of the campaign and ensure smooth execution.
Read more: Alex CPF concerned about GBV victims reluctance to press charges
GBV Brigades’ Lizzy Sithole emphasised the importance of the follow-up session, stating that it was essential to avoid last-minute setbacks. “It was a follow-up meeting. It is very important because we do not want any disappointments on the day. Today [May 20], we were trying to see if we could get food for the attendees. Although we could not, the campaign will continue,” she said.
She explained that the primary goal of their campaign was to educate the community, particularly those unaware of the different forms of abuse. “We will educate people, people are not aware that they are being abused, whether emotionally, physically, or financially. So, we are going to go out and share the information with them.”
Also read: Community safety stakeholders strategise for an effective GBV campaign
The meeting also served to assess their progress after initial discussions held on May 3, where the GBV Brigades, Community Policing Forum, The Salvation Army, and Alexandra police officials mapped out strategies to enhance community participation and cooperation in the upcoming campaign.
Sithole noted that a key outcome was obtaining approval to conduct door-to-door outreach at Madala Hostel. “We spoke to the leaders and they permitted us. So, we will go to Madala, where we will do door-to-door and give people the information.”
Attendees stressed the necessity of securing proper authorisations before launching initiatives, such as setting up a help desk at a local church for GBV victims. Sithole said they were also collaborating with social workers to provide direct support beyond raising awareness, ensuring that the campaign leaves a lasting impact on residents.
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