Eldorado Park remembers victims of domestic violence
Eldorado Park Family Crisis Centre in partnership with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Eldorado Park Women's Forum had a launch for the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children.
Eldorado Park Family Crisis Centre in partnership with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Eldorado Park Women’s Forum had a launch for the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children.
According to Gloria Stewart who is the director for the crisis center, the purpose of the launch was to start the 16 days of activism by lighting a candle in remembrance of victims of domestic violence, and those who lost their lives to Covid-19.
A social worker at the crisis center, Last Dulani said: “We are working from the victim empowerment center at the Eldorado Park police station. This event is to mark the beginning of the 16 days of activism.”
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“We are a non-profit organisation subcontracted by the Department of Social Development to do victim empowerment projects at the police station. Every year, from November 25 to December 10, we take part in the 16 days of activism.”
“Today we are here to make people aware of the services that we provide. When people are being abused, the most basic thing that we do is containment, we try to calm the victim down and help them to explain their situation to the police. Most of the victims are usually traumatised when they come to us and as a centre, if we do not have the services needed, we refer the victims to the relevant centres near us. We aim to do trauma counseling and sometimes we offer social support but we mostly deal with crisis management to help the victim with the trauma.”
Pastors: Lionel Mashau, Joseph Kaars, Vaughn Stellenburg, and Gerald van Wyk, all had the opportunity to say a few words. Warrant officer Maleka from Kliptown SAPS said a speech and Constable Carels from the Eldorado Park SAPS was also present at the event. Throughout the event, the Khayalethu Arts and Culture Group provided the entertainment.
Chairperson of the Greater Kliptown Community Policing Forum, Billy Petersen shared: “I would like to encourage both men and women to speak up. It is not only women who get abused, men also get abused. Daily some old men come into my office with bruised eyes, and like men who are ashamed to report the abuse because we say ‘tigers don’t cry’ and then some men get to the point where they explode and then turn on the woman. These 16 days of activism, I want to encourage people to stop fighting with each other, fighting won’t help with anything, we need to learn to sit and talk things out.”
Dulani further explained: “During the first few levels of lockdown, we had very few cases but around August or September, when the president allowed people to buy and sell alcohol again, that is when the cases started picking up. We now have about fifty to fifty-five cases a week and that is a lot. I would like people to know that they shouldn’t be quiet, sometimes silence is not golden. If you do not speak up, you will not know how to help you.”
The organisation will be having more events throughout the 16 days of activism.
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