The Foundation for Victims of Crime (Favoc) recently held an awareness campaign at the Wellness Ministry in Hlalanikahle. Favoc’s aim is to create a safe and peaceful society, where rights of victims of crime are protected and realized.
Ms Lungile Msibi from the Department of Justice explaining about the cases they deal with.
They are a Non-Governmental Organisation providing legal and social services to victims of crime. The organisation was formed in 2008 and was trained by one of the largest Victim Support Organisations in the world (Victim Support UK). The organisation’s volunteers were trained by the Department of Justice (doj) on justice processes and they are part of National Victim Empowerment Programme and they were close with doj and cd (Department of Justice and Constitutional Development).
They have an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Correctional Services and Victim Support UK. Their offices are located in eight provinces with the headquarters in Gauteng in Pretoria.
The mission of Favoc is to be the best and reliable organisation contributing to the vision of victim support services through provision of community education, emotional support, referral information to victims and communities, information sharing with partnerships, government and civil society organisations, through advocacy for victim support services while demonstrating fairness.
Ms Cynthia Zulu from Thuthuzela Centre addressing on victims of rape and abuse and how they were helped by Thuthuzela Centre.
Bishop Navindlaal Dookkoo opened with a prayer and told the people about the power of prayers and encouraged the people to take charge of their lives.
Mr Moses Mhlabane explained the aims of Favoc and why they were holding the awareness campaign. He said they were empowering and supporting all the victims of crime and they depend on other stakeholders to do their work.
Ms Lungile Msibi from the Department of Justice also explained about the cases that they deal with.
Ms Cynthia Zulu from Thuthuzela Centre explained about victims of rape and abuse and how they were helped by the centre.
Ms Bongiwe Nkosi from the Department of Social Services encouraging mothers to take good care of their children and to support them.
Ms Bongiwe Nkosi from the department of social services encouraged mothers to take good care of their children and to support them.
FOVOC is a service provider to victims of crime and violence, they also hold projects to ensure that communities are informed for community development; they also hold outcome or achievement of the projects and deals with how government is implementing or not implementing the Domestic Violence Act and Sexual Offences Acts. Their role is to monitor government’s implementation of Victims Charter.
Ms Connie Mabuza from the department of health
They also offer legal information, assistance with completion of legal forms and assistance with court appearances (especially vulnerable victims or witnesses who attend court for the first time), they offer social and practical support, in the form of emotional and in some cases transportation for victims and witnesses to access various government services, they refer, especially in cases where trauma support is required, they provide a link between victims and South African Police Services, NPA, DCS, DSD and DOH, they also monitor progress on cases and recording incidents of reported crimes within communities, they provide education and local support systems for communities through community radio, meetings and other forms of media, they engage the local communities through awareness campaigns and capacitate other local community organisations like the local policing organisations to understand and fully exercise the victims rights by strengthening their performance in relation to their purpose, context, resources and viability
