Diepsloot police and community work hard to raise awareness
DIEPSLOOT – To kick-start 16 Days of Activism, police took to the community to discuss issues on gender-based violence.
Diepsloot police in partnership with local stakeholders hosted a gender-based violence (GBV) awareness campaign in Diepsloot Ext 13 on 25 November.
The campaign was to kick-start the observation of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children.
Spokesperson for Diepsloot Police Station, Captain Tinyiko Mathebula said police, local stakeholders and community members spoke on the causes of gender-based violence.
“Some of the factors that emerged during the discussions that were the cause of GBV in this community include alcohol and substance abuse and high levels of unemployment,” he said.
A number of stakeholders shared their views on how best the community could work together to address gender-based violence issues.
“Normalising reporting cases of GBV to the police is among the measures that have been identified as a step in the right direction.
“Victims of GBV were urged to make use of services offered by local organisations such as Sonke Gender Justice, South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Lawyers Against Abuse, South African Depression and Anxiety Group and others.”
Police challenged everyone who attended to take a stand against gender-based violence by reporting all perpetrators to the police.
