The Department of Women will launch the Public Hearings on All Forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV) as a step towards ending the silence that allows gender based violence to continue unabated. The Minister in the Presidency Responsible for Women, Ms Bathabile Dlamini once again calls on the nation to speak out against gender based violence and to turn the tables on perpetrators who use silence as a tool to continue to subjugate women through multiple forms of violence.
The Public Hearings will allow society to gather and collectively shed the veil of shame, reduce notions of abandonment, and to offer support to victims and survivors of GBV. “We have invited all sectors of society to come together to support survivors of GBV. We have invited doctors and psychologists, social workers, legal aid, the South African Police Service, religious bodies, as well as other support services to listen to, and understand the plight of survivors, to be able to ensure support is always victim-focused,” added Minister Dlamini.
Through initiatives like the Public Hearings on All Forms of Gender-Based Violence the Department of Women hopes to make GBV a household conversation so that all citizens understand both the physical and psychological effects of violence against women. Civil society organisations and faith based organisations have also been invited to form part of the hearings. The Total Shutdown, Ilitha Labantu, Sonke Gender Justice, The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation are just a few of the organisations who have committed to supporting the department at the launch.
Members of the media are requested to respect the identity of those sharing their personal stories by seeking permission before publishing photos or video.
Members of the media are invited to the launch which will take place as follows:
Date: Friday, 26 April 2019
Venue: Atteridgeville Arena
Time: 9h00 to 16h00
Media enquiries:
Mr Shalen Gajadhar
Cell: 060 979 4235
E-mail: shalen.gajadhar@women.gov.za
