16 Days to raise awareness
RANDBURG – Randburg Police Station's Sergeant Dipuo Maphanga spoke to students at Signa Academy about the various aspects of gender-based violence in aid of 16 Days of Activism.
Sergeant Dipuo Maphanga, a member of the Social Crime Prevention Unit, spoke to students at Signa Academy about the various aspects of gender-based violence in aid of 16 Days of Activism.
“I came here today to show that respect should be part of our daily lives… It shows that whether you are a man or a woman, we can all work together to fight social injustice,” said Maphanga.
According to her, reporting of gender-based crime is the biggest issue facing South Africa.
“Many times, women are too afraid of the consequences… If you are abused and you feel like you don’t want to open a case, let’s at least talk about it… It is your choice when to open a case.
“Remember, we don’t only arrest people, we are there to guide them and help them out of situations that they cannot control… It is about us helping one another.”
She spoke also about the stigma attached to men reporting sexual crimes against them.
“People forget that a man can be raped too… People need to understand that reporting a crime such as this is will not leave a mark on them in the community.”
Lieutenant Colonel Lucia Madinginye of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit added, “Men should also not be afraid to report other men who they know have committed an act of rape or abuse.”
For Maphanga, acting against gender-based violence is something close to her heart. “On my very first day as a police officer, I was called to a scene of domestic abuse… What I found when I arrived was a lady tied up to a bed, battered, bruised with a bottle stuck in her vagina.
“That is something I will never be able to forget, and it inspires me to do what I do.”
Students at the academy responded to Maphanga’s talk, asking numerous questions after her presentation.
Social worker at the academy, Marx Gertenbach said, “We are a skills development academy for previously disadvantaged and disabled students, specifically aimed at youth aged 19 to 29.
“The points that Sergeant Maphanga has discussed with us today are of utmost importance to our students, as a lot of these points are something that a lot of our students have dealt with in their lives.”
The 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and children.
The campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, International Human Rights Day.
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