In March 2019, we organised a GBVF community outreach event in Dorothy Nyembe Park in Dobsonville, Soweto. Participating organisations included the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), the South African Police Service (SAPS), Dobsonville Human Rights Office, and LifeLine.
Police officers from the Dobsonville Police Station and representatives of the stakeholder organisations gave educational GBV messages. Boys and men were encouraged to change their behaviour and to stop adhering to traditional norms and beliefs that could perpetuate GBV. A represenative of the Commission of Gender Equality was a keynote speaker. She touched on the fact that Dobsonville had an alarming number of cases of GBVF compared to other townships, and encouraged the Dobsonville police to do what they could to solve outstanding cases. Gender activists also addressed the community on GBV, followed by entertainment.
