The Bethesda Home in Actonville and the Theodora Ndaba Victim Support Centre in Daveyton are two of the local Non-Profit Organisations (NPO’s) that received new vehicles from the Gauteng Provincial Government on June 25.
These vehicles were handed to the NPOs in aid of a swift response to victims of gender-based violence.
The province handed over 12 new vehicles in total to NPOs.
Speaking at the handover at Igugulethu Child and Youth Care Centre, in Boksburg, Social Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said these vehicles will provide an instant 24-hour support to communities to make sure that critical interventions are not missed.
“As we hand over these vehicles to act towards ending gender-based violence, we continue to raise awareness as part of the United Nations ‘Orange Day UNiTE Campaign’ commemorated globally on the 25th of every month,” said Mayathula-Khoza.
“This campaign calls upon civil society, governments and UN partners to mobilise people and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25), but every month.”
The Gauteng Department of Social Development has a mandate to promote the development of individuals, families and communities towards self-reliance and sustainability.
“We help victims and survivors of domestic abuse through programmes such as the Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP).
According to the MEC, the role of the department in victim empowerment is two-pronged:
• The mandated role of care and protection of vulnerable groups, especially women and children because many victims of violence and crime are women and children. The execution of this role means that the department must develop and offer a service to victims.
• The second prong is the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), that requires the department to lead the government’s response to the empowerment of victims. This entails the co-ordination, establishment and development of intersectoral mechanisms, interventions and partnerships to ensure that government services to victims are offered seamlessly.
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In accordance with this responsibility, the department funds about 25 shelters for victims of crime and violence, managed by NPOs, that were accessed by 1 763 women.
“We have 65 VEP organisations that are funded to deliver victim empowerment services and 11 349 victims have accessed these shelters.
The programme of No Violence Against Women and Children, including 16 Days of Activism, reached 79 564 beneficiaries,” said Mayathula-Khoza.
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