Members of the South African Police Service, Department of Correctional Services and prominent figures in South African football hosted an awareness campaign to educate students about sexual crimes and gender-based violence.
The awareness campaign was hosted at the Respublica West City student accommodation in Kwaggasrand, west of Pretoria on Thursday.
Law enforcement and the speakers educated the students about various types of sexual harassment and the repercussions that came with each crime. They also talked about the rights of victims of sex crimes and touched on the seriousness of perjury.
“Perjury is a serious offence and one that you can be charged for. Not only are you wasting the state’s time but you would also be falsely accusing someone of a serious offence,” said police spokesperson Constable Sbongile Vuma.
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Vuma said they focused on students because most of them were unfamiliar with the area and did not know how to react when they had been victimized. She also informed students about options that were available to them when reporting a case.
“There are cases of sexual harassment that individuals sometimes feel like they cannot report but you can report someone for even harassing you over the phone.
“We also have a trauma centre at the Pretoria West police station dedicated to helping victims of sexual crimes and gender-based violence.”
Goitsemodimo Modumo, one of the event organisers, said he partnered up with law enforcement and the student accommodation committee to create awareness on the issue.
“I am a coach and I started witnessing certain behaviours from the boys that I coach. I had a discussion with the community engagement committee as well as the police and together we decided to host this event to educate students about gender-based violence and sex crimes,” said Modumo.
Akhona Makalima, a referee in the Premier Soccer League, said she chose to take part in the campaign because she wanted to be part of the change.
“It’s the silence, the untold stories that are killing us.
“We also look at the surface and not the cause and it’s time we started focusing on the cause of our problems,” said Makalima.
She said the high rates of GBV in the country were alarming and everyone needed to be part of the conversation that would ultimately end it. Makalima also talked about the countless instances of sexual harassment she experienced as a female referee in an industry dominated by males.
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“We have been losing a lot of women to gender-based violence and I don’t feel like we have been vocal enough about the solutions. I am here because I believe in serving the community and if it happens to benefit a young boy or girl then I am always up for the challenge,” said Makalima.
Modumo described the overall event as a success and was confident that students would now have a different outlook on pressing issues in society like GBV.
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