Residents gathered at 3 Square Sports Ground on November 13 for a digital empowerment and gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) workshop hosted by Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention and Training (Adapt) and Deloitte.

The dialogue grew out of Adapt’s work in communities, its psychosocial services sessions, and its programmes at schools and universities. Adapt’s Sidwell Sehoana said one of the organisation’s key findings was a rise in technology-facilitated abuse, meaning abuse that is enabled by technology.

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Sehoana said the partnership with Deloitte was a natural fit, noting that the firm brought expertise in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) that linked well with addressing technology-facilitated abuse.

Deloitte representatives spent considerable time taking attendees through AI, from its capabilities to its weaknesses. They urged the community to embrace the technology, but responsibly and with caution, stressing that AI is a tool many people now use daily and must be used wisely and safely.

That conversation led into the dangers of technology-facilitated abuse. Sehoana said people often take it lightly and do not always realise how it creeps in, noting that it can start with something as ordinary as a message and end up in human trafficking cases.

“Those are cases where you would hear someone say, ‘I met this guy and after communicating for some time through social media, we decided to meet’,” Sehoana said, adding that such meetings often happen without any background checks. He said it would only later emerge that GBV had occurred, enabled by technology.

The dialogue also stressed that GBV does not affect women alone. Sarah Matomemohale, a resident, said abuse of men is underreported because of the stigma around men being abused by their partners.

The session turned to sexual offences, including sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape, and for some, it was an eye-opener.

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Kgomotso Mathelga said he was shocked to learn that all sexual comments directed at a person can constitute sexual harassment. He noted that crude sexual remarks have become so normalised that it is hard to imagine them as a crime.

That reaction underscored the significance of such dialogues that emphasise that sexual harassment is a crime, and many in the community are only now learning this.

Sehoana also spoke about the community’s responsibility to report sexual offences, stating that the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act makes it an offence to fail to report the sexual abuse of a child, punishable by imprisonment, a fine or both.

“When you are a parent and you know a child is sleeping with an elderly person and you choose to be quiet because you are benefiting, the law says you are as guilty,” Sehoana said.

He added that Adapt has a mandate to respond to GBV, and that the organisation plays a role in supporting victims through the justice process.

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