Lyttleton police and various organisations host GBV campaign

Gauteng Community Safety, Lyttleton police station and various organisations hosted a gender-based violence (GBV) campaign at the Jean Crossing shopping centre on Saturday.

Police spokesperson, Constable Kenneth Manyemula, said the event was about raising awareness about the increasing number of GBV cases that were reported to their station and happening in the country.

“We have received more and more complaints about GBV and requests for more protection orders, so we saw it fit to do more and more of these campaigns. We will also be doing door-to-door campaigns to raise awareness about GBV.”

Manyemula said they aimed to get more men involved as they are the ones mostly causing this problem.

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“We are not saying men are not abused or do not experience GBV, but we are urging men to learn ways to stop this. “We want to take this campaign to schools as well to teach boys to see girls differently because that determines how they are going to treat women in the future.”

Manyemula encouraged women who are experiencing GBV to come forward and report their cases to the station or speak to the social workers at the station.

“I want to say to women that they should try and not allow themselves to become victims. We understand there are financial problems that cause them to keep quiet. We want to help them as much as we can. Come to our station, let us try to resolve the issue.”

Khuluma Family Counseling team leader, Sara Molea, said they have victim-friendly rooms at the station to assist victims of abuse.

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“We offer services which include, empowerment, containment and psychosocial help.”

Molea encouraged women who are being abused to break the silence.

“Silence is not a solution but empowerment to the perpetrator. The minute you speak up, something will be done. Women should know they are protected.

“If it is a case of where the victim feels the abuser is their only means of surviving, we have shelters we can refer them to and they would be empowered to move on and stand up for themselves.”

CPF chairperson in the area, Merle van Staden, said GBV happens a lot in their area and they want to let people know that there are people who care for them.

“We understand that is a very difficult situation to get out of. A lot of times victims are financially bound to that person who abuse them, but we want them to know there is support. Men should stop abusing women and children.”

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