16 Days of Activism: SAPS Plans to Launch 365 Day Campaign to Fight GBV, Mzansi Wants Government to Do More

• The South African government has launched the 16 Days of Activism campaign which addresses the violence against women and children
• The South African Police Service says the police have been instructed to continue with the campaign all year long
• Social media users have weighed in the campaign and some think the initiative is merely a waste of money

JOHANNESBURG - The 16 Days of Activism campaign that aims to stop the violence perpetrated against women and children kicked off Thursday, 25 November and will be observed until 10 December.

A number of government departments will be heading up the campaign over the next two weeks and will engage in talks and strategies to stop the ongoing violence against the vulnerable.

Deputy Minister of the Police Cassel Mathale is of the belief that activism and strategies in the fight against violence against women and children should not be limited to 16 days but should be a year-long strategy, according to SABC News.

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Mathe says the South African Police Service has committed to Fight Gender-Based Violence by implementing a 365-day intervention plan. He says the different provinces have been mandated to layout their GBV interventions and implement them throughout the year.

South African government urged to more in the fight against GBV

A number of communities in the Western Cape have called on the South African government to intensify efforts in addressing the influx of violence against women and children.

At the Western Cape SAPS launch of the 16 Days campaign, a 13-year-old named Qhanisa Ntshinka said change is needed because women cannot live in fear anymore, according to a report by EWN.

She also urged ordinary citizens to also take a stand because children are also feeling unsafe in their communities.

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Dineo Masiu, a Ward councillor in Delft said the high number of GBV cases was alarming. The area is in the top 30 of communities that have reported the most GBV cases.

South Africans weigh in Gender-Based Violence

Taking to social media, South Africans have shared their thoughts on the 16 Days of Activism campaign and here's what they had to say:

@Ms_Phiri said:

"Mediocrity is believing that a decrease in reported GBV incidents equals a decrease in actual GBV cases."

@Ma10cent10 said:

"16 Days of wasting money on programmes that benefit themselves, that's nonsense. They are failing throughout the year to deal with GBV, what will they do with 16days? Our government must take us seriously."

@ThembiMatroshe said:

"Today marks the beginning of the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Let us use this period to intensify our advocacy against the violence that women, girls and genderqueer people face."

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@Sentletse said:

"Another round of more talk about 16 days of activism against GBV. ANC politicians will be irritating us again."

Brave guy stands up to GBV after hearing neighbour attack his partner

Briefly News previously reported that a young man recently shared with Facebook's ImStaying how he managed to stop an abusive man from doing further harm to his girlfriend by going over to their apartment and threatening the man who was hitting his woman.

"Imagine it's 3:10am and the guy upstairs who has a flat on top of mine is beating the hell out of his girlfriend. They are so loud and the noise is so ridiculous, the crying, floor banging and banging of the bed and stuff breaking woke me up.

"I put on my track-pants and went and knocked on their door. I was hurt not only by gender-based violence but also by the fact that they woke me from my sleep."

He then details how he threatened to get into the house and beat the man should he continue to beat his girlfriend and soon the banging and crying noises had stopped.

Source: Briefly News