This forms part of the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children, which is celebrated annually from November 25 to December 10.
The period includes Universal Children’s Day and World Aids Day.
This year the campaign will be held under the theme: “Count Me In: Together Moving a Non-Violent South Africa forward”.
The aim is to educate communities about domestic and gender-based violence, as well as to inform them about their legal rights in instances of such violence.
According to Zehlile Ncube, a social worker at the Boksburg Victim Support Centre, as part of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign, her centre, in partnership with the police, Mercy Haven and House of Mercy, will visit several different Boksburg areas to make people aware of the negative impact of violence on women and children.
The community will also be encouraged to act against abuse.
“Violence against women and children continues unabated, particularly in areas where there are low levels of awareness, such as the informal settlements,’ says Ncube.
She says their statistics indicate that the informal settlements are reporting the highest rates of crimes of this nature, adding that this, therefore, calls for the activism to be intensified in those areas.
Although some of their campaigns will also be focused on the suburbs, Ncube says there is a greater need for awareness in the informal settlements.
“The high crime statistics of violence against women and children in the informal settlements remains a concern. To make matters worse, only a few of the victims take legal actions against the perpetrators. It seems as if violence is seen as normal among residents,” says Ncube.
Ncube revealed that some of the violent crimes reported in Angelo, such as assault, rape, attempted murder stem from domestic violence.
“It is worrisome that most of these crimes were committed within homes, where many of the victims are supposed to be safe,” he says.
“In most instances the perpetrators and the victims were in intimate relationships or the perpetrator is a relative or a parent.
“Even men experience violence at the hands of their female partners.”
With 16 Days of Activism on our doorstep, Ncube appeals to all residents of Boksburg to join hands in this fight against this specific type of crime.
“We should work together to end this pandemic.”
Meanwhile, Ithemba Victim Support Centre, in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Community Safety, will launch a green door in Reiger Park as part of the campaign.
The green door is a temporary safe house used to accommodate victims of abuse for a period of four to six hours.
The launch will be preceded by a door-to-door campaign in the area, to raise awareness of the green door.
