Witpoortjie community takes a stand against GBV
Witpoortjie community members organised a peaceful march in support of the 16 Days of Activism campaign.
The Witpoortjie community came together in a powerful display of unity and solidarity, as they staged a peaceful protest to mark the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign.
The protest, which began at the Pick ‘n Pay in Witpoortjie and ended at Shoprite Witpoortjie on November 29, served as a powerful call to action against the persistent scourge of gender-based violence in South Africa.
The campaign is an international campaign that calls for an end to violence against women and girls. The campaign runs from November 25 to December 10.
According to Zandile Mabeleng, organiser and member of the GBV Forum in Region C, the community’s efforts are crucial in raising awareness about the different forms of GBV and the support services available to victims.
“We recognise that Witpoortjie is an isolated community, and it’s possible that they are not accessing the services that are available to them,” Mabeleng said.
“We wanted to create awareness on the different kinds of GBV and where to access support. As a mother living in South Africa, I have made it my mission to raise awareness about child abuse, among women and girls. We also know that the community is affected by substance abuse, which is sometimes the root cause of GBV. We want the community to know that we are here, and we support them.”
Alarmingly, statistics released by the World Health Organisation indicate that globally, about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/ or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. While South Africa has the highest recorded cases of GBV.
Speaker of Council in the City of Johannesburg, Nobuhle Mthembu, and members of the legislature joined this peaceful march to take a stand against GBV.
“If it was up to us it would be 365 days of no violence against women and children. They are the most vulnerable in our community. However, we would like to ensure community members and organisations that we support them and help is always available,” the Speaker said.
The protest was joined by security companies, Roodepoort police, community patrollers, GBV Forum members and members of the Teddy Bear Foundation.
