Thembisa residents urged to help prevent gender-based violence

The City of Ekurhuleni took its GBV awareness campaign to Thembisa as part of ongoing efforts to educate communities about the causes of violence against women and children and how to prevent it.

The initiative follows the mass killings of women in Ekurhuleni and forms part of a presidential initiative aimed at addressing GBV and the social issues that contribute to its prevalence.

It seeks to help communities understand the roots of violence, challenge harmful attitudes within households and encourage collective action against abuse.

On October 26, the city held an outreach programme in the open space at Thembi Mall, where officials engaged with residents and shared information on recognising, addressing and preventing GBV, particularly in communities such as Thembisa.

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Regional manager Mosadi Lehoko said it was important for residents to understand the underlying causes of GBV and how they could help prevent it.

“To the readers at home, I would advise them to learn more about GBV and how to respond to it. Usually, when communication within a relationship weakens, it can lead to GBV or domestic abuse.

“Secondly, alcohol abuse also contributes to violence against women. As an accepted drug, we tend to exclude it from conversations about GBV. However, alcohol consumption has negative effects on women.

“We therefore discourage excessive alcohol consumption within relationships because of the consequences it can bring,” she said.

Lehoko acknowledged that assisting victims can become particularly challenging when the alleged perpetrator is the household’s breadwinner, as victims may fear that reporting the abuse could leave their families without financial support.

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“Dealing with GBV victims becomes much harder when the perpetrator is the breadwinner, meaning that if he is sent to jail, people may go hungry. This makes our job harder because, by the time victims choose to approach us, it is sometimes already too late.

“We might be on the street, but our daily work is for everyone in the community. We have social workers who visit schools to help address the roots of GBV among children.

“We know that bullying, which often starts in schools, can have an impact on learners’ lives. We are therefore a system that caters for every age group, as our goal is to fight GBV,” she added.

Residents who experience GBV in their households but feel uncomfortable approaching officials in public are encouraged to visit municipal offices at Winnie Mandela CCC, Phomolong, Ethafeni and Lethabong, where social workers are stationed to assist them.

Lehoko said the campaign would continue in the lead-up to the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.

“From this month into next month, we will be gearing up for the 16 Days of Activism against Women and Children Abuse. We will be out in action and in numbers, teaching our community about safety measures and how to fight the growing stigma.
“With today’s event, we wish to spread more information and help our communities as best as possible,” she said.