By SAPS Khayelitsha Police Station, Domestic Violence Office

Since the implementation of the Kagisano Programme in Khayelitsha, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has emerged as a pressing concern within our community. Regrettably, incidents of women and young girls experiencing sexual violation and physical harassment due to domestic, or community violence persist, making it imperative for us to address this issue collectively.

We as SAPS Khayelitsha Police Station, Domestic Violence Office and other local structures, and community organizations, in the area have been tirelessly working to raise awareness through initial debriefing with victims when they visit our offices, referrals to relevant service providers that deal with counselling and trauma relief services and from time to time we organise awareness campaigns with these partners.

The gravity of domestic violence necessitates a united effort to combat GBV comprehensively, hence we have partnered with Afesis, Isibane Development Initiative and Mpho Ya Basadi for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, because we believe that awareness campaigns are crucial in educating the community to take a collective stance in GBV. Our main job is to prevent and reduce domestic violence in the area and educate community about this pandemic.

Some of the challenges we face in doing our work effectively is the lack of resources that can support the victims adequately when visiting our offices. Counselling and support services are most needed for survivors of domestic violence. We also need resources like, a car in order to take complaints to referred organizations or NGOs including to do awareness’s and pamphlet fleeting.

We believe that the underlying causes of GBV in this community are directly linked to social issues, such as poverty, unemployment, and substance abuse. To counterattack this, we need the creation of jobs, especially geared at empowering women so they can be independent and rely less on men for survival. In our line of work, we have seen that there GBV cases that go unreported, because families solve it for themselves and they do not want to involve police, the perpetrator might be the bread winner so they are thinking who will support them.

We also need youth programmes, especially for the boy-child or young men that can add positive value in their lives and to boost their moral and self-worth. Also, mostly importantly we need to continuously educate and raise awareness about this issue, so we can a collective stance in the community to stand up against domestic violence. We believe this the most effective prevention strategy that can reduce GBV.

Also, social cohesion programme likes Kagisano should be more supported because their approach brings together collective community partnerships to tackle GBV. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign further gives us an opportunity to raise awareness and engage with like-minded organisations to find creative and effective ways to improve our work on domestic violence. On 9^th December in collaboration with Afesis and Mpho Ya Basadi and we will be hosting Indibano Ya Bafazi “Women’s Gathering” intimate event in our boardroom to bring together ‘experts’ working in the field of GBV and domestic violence in Khayelitsha to have a discussion on some of their experiences working in this field; challenges, gaps and best practices that can adopted by other role players in Khayelitsha.

For more information on our services and this event, please contact Domestic Violence Coordinator Constable Celia Ngobeni on 078 657 1603 or khayelitsha.vsplcmndr@saps.gov.za

Your involvement will play a crucial role in spreading awareness and advocating for change within our community. Together, we can make a significant difference and work towards a safer, more secure environment for everyone.

We look forward to your positive response and collective commitment to this important cause.