United in prayer
KwaThema – Community members, religious groups and laws enforcement officers gathered at the Mashila Park for a prayer service on Wednesday.
The main reason behind the gathering supported by the EMPD and SAPS was to pray for an end to abuse in the country.
Founder of the Caswell Stop Abuse Movement, Caswell Gxowa explains that the movement took a decision to dedicate a day to pray for an end to abuse after seeing the high rate of abuse in the county which courts are, according to Gxowa, failing to reduce.
“We are hoping that through this initiative, something will change for the better.
“The reason we have also included law enforcement officers is because we normally work with them and they are the ones who help the community in dealing with such cases.
“It is painful seeing the amount of things we see and types of abuse cases we all come across and something needs to change,” says Gxowa with tears in this eyes.
He adds that one of the reasons which drove him to opening this movement, was because he was also a victim of abuse inflicted on him by his wife and he couldn’t fight back.
Gxowa encourages people who are being abused to go to the KwaThema Abuse Court (behind the police station) where they can get help from people whom he says have been trained in dealing with such cases as sometimes police officers just laugh at you.
“Through our research we have found that people don’t report their cases as they encounter problems when dealing with certain officers.
“Instead of getting someone who understands their situation and who can be empathetic, abuse victims sometimes get officers who don’t know how to deal with or address these situations.
“This is why, as a movement, we went to ask the Springs Magistrates Court to open the abuse court for us.
“They agreed and opened the court earlier this year after seeing the cases we were bringing forward to them,” he adds.
Gxowa concludes by stating that since they are still coming across some sensitive cases which don’t need criminal court or don’t fit into the abuse court, they are hoping that soon they will be able to get a family court to cater to people’s family matters in the area.
