Alex residents urged to report all forms and incidents of women’s abuse

The Gauteng Department of Social Development took its anti-GBVF fight to the streets of Alexandra to encourage the community to take a strong stand against the scourge and to report cases incidents of women abuse.

August 24, 2023

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Some of the attendees of the anti-gender-based violence event of the Gauteng Department of Social Development at the Alex Plaza Shopping Centre.

The recent crime statistics by the South African Police Service (SAPS) have marked Alexandra township as sitting on the 11th spot of the countrywide hotspot top 30 list of gender-based violence and femicide-prone areas.

Domestic violence was the most common type, impacting one in four women. It is for this reason that the Gauteng Department of Social Development visited Alex Plaza Shopping Centre on August 17 to engage residents on the scourge that has been deemed a second global pandemic.

Stakeholders attendees of the Alex Plaza event vent their anger at the gender-based violence and femicide.

Speaking to the community, Victim Empowerment Programme’s social work policy developer Audrey Mathonsi said the department visited the township as it was listed as one of the hotspot areas in Gauteng.

“We are here in Alexandra to observe Women’s Month under the theme; ‘Accelerating socio-economic opportunities for women empowerment’ and we brought stakeholders such as SAPS, Department of Health, SASSA, and Adapt, a non-profit organisation that is working within our victim-friendly room at the Alexandra Police Station.

A department staffer hands out anti-gender-based violence pamphlets to attendees of the event.

“We want to encourage the community to report cases of violence against women and children as many of these cases simply go unreported. We call on victims of gender-based violence to access our services and break the syndrome of silence,” Mathonsi said.

A recent study by the Commission for Gender Equality depicted an alarming withdrawal of cases by victims, high levels of poverty and distant police stations and courts as hindering factors for victims’ ability to access justice.

Some of the stakeholders at the Alex Plaza event of the Gauteng Department of Social Development.

The study also revealed that high levels of unemployment, especially among the youth, emerged as another key factor that exposes victims to sustained abuse due to the nature of victims’ dependence on the perpetrators for livelihood.

In response to the study, the department’s Sustainable Livelihoods and Youth Development programme provided information on how women can empower themselves economically by starting sewing cooperatives, backyard food gardens, and other skills development programmes that can help them stand on their own feet and reduce the reliance on their male counterparts.