At the request of the station commander of SAPS Ekangala (near Bronkhorstspruit) in Gauteng, Action Society will now assist the community in its fight to curb rising numbers of gender-based violence.
Lt. Col Bergh, the new station commander, specifically asked Action Society to educate the community on issues around GBV. As a result, various stakeholders attended a meeting at the station to find practical plans to attack the problem.
“Unfortunately, SAPS sees more and more cases of rape, more so when women return from work, around the township of Ekangala. And, to make matters worse, cases are withdrawn after so-called “family meetings” to change the minds of or intimidate victims,” said Tshepi Mmekwa, Action Society’s Action Centre coordinator in Gauteng. “We have a lot of work to do in empowering women to stick with their complaints and see through their cases, as well as working with the police and prosecutors to secure convictions for these crimes.
“The meeting was very productive, and we look forward to bringing real change through this community cooperation project.”
The stakeholders, including SAPS, detectives, the CPF and sector managers, indicated an urgent need for reflectors and torches while doing patrols.
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