In their concerted efforts to fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in the community, Diepsloot GBV Forum and Diepsloot Police Station hosted a men’s dialogue event on October 2 at Momes Tavern.
Trauma counsellor at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) said, “Diepsloot GBV Forum is a body made of different community-based organisations to fight gender-based violence in the area. Through this programme, we want to engage men and raise awareness about gender-based violence,” she said.
“Most of them were happy to share their frustrations and shared some of the reasons that push them to violence. Some pointed out unemployment, alcohol abuse and wrong advice from friends as some of the contributing factors to domestic violence.”
Diepsloot Police Station spokesperson Captain Tinyiko Mathebula said police and Diepsloot GBV Forum condemn the abuse of alcohol and urged men to respect and live with women in harmony. “The dialogue sought to unearth contributing factors to GBV Forum and finding lasting solutions to this problem. Among the contributing factors discussed, alcohol abuse was singled out as one of the major contributors to GBV in this community. Other factors included patriarchy which was highlighted as one of the driving factors behind GBV Forum,” he said.
Mathebula added, “Our station commander Brigadier Koena Moichela, who also participated in the dialogue, expressed his gratitude to see men being actively involved in initiatives that seek to prevent GBV in our community. The brigadier appreciated the great work which the GBV Forum is doing and pleaded with the forum to have more of these dialogues at our local taverns.”
Related Article:
