Goodwood and Parow police unite to fight gender-based violence

Goodwood and Parow police held a joint peaceful march on Tuesday, November 25, to launch 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The annual campaign, which runs from November 25 to December 10, shines a light on the need to protect women and girls through prevention and intervention. 

Community members and activists joined the march, carrying placards calling for an end to GBV. The group set off from the Goodwood police station and proceeded to the Parow police station, where the event concluded.

The march included speeches from activists, prayers, and messages of encouragement for GBV survivors.

Parow police station’s GBV coordinator, Warrant Officer Antoinette Owies, said the aim of the march was to raise awareness and encourage victims to speak out.

“This is not to say that people should report only during the 16 days; they can report anytime, 24/7, at any police station. We are winning (in the fight against GBV at the Parow police station), but a lot of people, especially women, are in relationships where they don't work and the husband is the only breadwinner. 

“And obviously, they would rather stay in that abusive relationship instead of going out. But there is help outside the abusive relationship or marriage,” she said.

The treasurer of the Goodwood Community Police Forum (CPF), Patrick Lombardo, encouraged the community to unite in the fight, calling GBV a “destructive force that erodes families, weakens communities and steals the potential of future generations.”

Lieutenant-Colonel Marius Roux, the visible policing commander at Goodwood police station, confirmed that the issue was prevalent in the area. 

“We must not just look at it in these 16 days; we have to look at it every day. Daily, we have people who come to say they were victims of GBV, and we deal with protection orders. It is prevalent in the area, but unfortunately, I cannot say how many cases,” he said.  

Last Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced at the G20 Social Summit in Ekurhuleni that the government would classify gender-based violence and femicide as a national crisis that must be urgently addressed.

His announcement came in the wake of a national protest by the advocacy group Women for Change. The group demanded that gender-based violence and femicide be declared a national disaster.