Domestic abuse and violence against women and children in South Africa represent some of the highest instances of reported crime in the country, yet many South Africans are unaware of the magnitude of this problem.
The Joburg North Cluster police, Sandton Community Policing Forum (CPF), non-governmental organisations, the department of health and members of the Sandton community joined together for a domestic violence awareness campaign at Redhill School on 8 December.
Brigadier Egen Moodley began proceedings by addressing those in attendance with the purpose of the event – to raise awareness about domestic violence and related matters and encourage dialogue on the prevalent issue. “Whatever information you learn here, it must be taken home and shared,” said Moodley.
Sandton resident Beth Clark-Dewsbery was one of the few community members to attend proceedings and said she had read about the campaign on the Sandton CPF Facebook page. “I have experienced abuse in my life on a variety of levels. It is important to let the public know that this happens everywhere and it’s important for members of the community to come forward and report it.”
Chairperson of the Sandton CPF, Anthony Modena, shared the startling statistic that only one in four women are survivors of domestic violence, revealing that three out of four women die in such circumstances.
Constable Ovuwa Ramafamba shared a poem called Woman in Blue highlighting her experience of domestic violence, even as a police officer. In her powerful testimony, she shared how she believes domestic violence is the modern day ‘war on humanity’.
“I am one of the lucky ones who survived domestic violence. I was in ICU for a week after the incident. Domestic violence is a crime that remains inside the closet. Women feel ashamed to speak out and victim-blame is prevalent,” said Ramafamba.
“When its soccer day, the stadium is full, but when people talk about things that we need to change, it becomes impossible to get anyone to attend. How will we get the men doing the wrong to attend those events?”
Organisations including Friends for Life, Anova Health, Sandton Victim Empowerment and domestic watch shared information about the work they do to alleviate and prevent abuse in local communities. The day ended with discussions and participation from the audience about the dire need to curb the crisis of domestic violence in South Africa.
