New campaign to tackle gender-based violence
The shopping centre will host the latest gender-based violence ACE (awareness, combat, educate) campaign, aimed at tackling gender-based violence and supporting mental health.
SOUTH Africa has notoriously high levels of violence against women and is one of the countries with the highest rape incidence in the world. The latest police figures show that 10 818 rape cases were reported in the first quarter of 2022.
Last Saturday, the non-profit organisation, the Umhlanga Women’s Association, launched its ACE (awareness, combat, educate) campaign at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping to empower communities to tackle gender-based violence (GBV) at the ground level.
Also read: Red Hill animal rescuer reflects on journey
Next month, on Saturday, May 22, the public is invited to view the two pieces of art, The Pledge and The Hand, by local artist Mika Parekh.
The first installation, The Pledge, which is symbolic of the call to stop GBV, encourages passersby to dip their thumbs in red paint and add their print to the installation. The second piece then calls on visitors to pledge their support for the ACE campaign by signing the canvas, thereby becoming a part of this historical movement.
“This is a forever campaign whereby we’re aiming to create awareness and educate the public about GBV and its connection with mental health in an effort to combat GBV in our societies. We’re creating an ecosystem of partners – legal, trauma counsellors, NPOs – to collectively eradicate GBV because we can’t work in isolation,” said Praneetha Aniruth, chairperson for the Umhlanga Women’s Association.
Also read: Glen Anil resident surfs to KZN crown
Aniruth said another unique element of their approach was the partnership with Mzansi Securifire whose team has created a mobile app which aims to combat GBV.
“For the pilot programme, residents from Umgeni River to eMdloti can download the app. If there is a threat of GBV, they can press the panic button, and Mzansi Security will respond, at no cost.”
Finally, educational outcomes of the #GBVACE campaign will be achieved by empowering the youth to recognise, address, and prevent GBV through talks at schools, religious centres, and community groups, as well as ongoing social media campaigns.
“Gateway Theatre of Shopping is proud to, once again, be playing our part in supporting a community upliftment campaign driven by the Umhlanga Women’s Association,” said Michelle Shelley, marketing manager of Gateway Theatre of Shopping.
The interactive installations will be at Gateway Theatre of Shopping from April 15 to 29, from 12:00 until 16:00, at Entrance 2, across from Essops Furniture Store near Woolworths, 1st Floor Entrance.
For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
