ActionSA Hosts Picket at WC SAPS HQ Calling For More Resources to Combat the Scourge of GBVF
Angela Sobey
ActionSA Western Cape Premier Candidate
Today, ActionSA hosted a picket outside the Provincial Headquarters of the South African Police Service (SAPS), calling for urgent resource capacitation of GBV desks across police stations in the Western Cape and that an audit be done to assess why GBVF cases are continuously struck off the court roll.
Our picket outside the Provincial SAPS Headquarters was sparked by the Western Cape’s ranking as the least safe province for women in a recent study conducted by 1st for Women insurance, but more shockingly, the fact that last year’s revelation by the Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety that over 70 gender-based violence cases were struck off the court roll in just six months.
ActionSA is particularly alarmed by the fact that the Western Cape continues to grapple with an alarming prevalence of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Since 2021 there has been a 13.5% increase in reported sexual offences which now sit at 7310 province wide. Today we took our frustrations straight to the doorstep of the SAPS, as GBV desks at police stations are reportedly not operational.
The crisis in policing and the broken criminal justice system is a significant factor contributing to the unsafe environment for women in the Western Cape, as well as in all other nine provinces. When we consider the sad reality that most cases go unreported, it’s likely that thousands of women and children will never see justice or, even more disturbingly, escape the violence.
Amidst the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa, ActionSA urgently calls on the government to enhance community-led initiatives targeting gender inequality and supporting women-led grassroots organizations. It is imperative that we reinforce all efforts towards a comprehensive strategy, combining prevention and swift response, to eradicate this deeply entrenched scourge from society.
ActionSA Hosts Picket at WC SAPS HQ Calling For More Resources to Combat the Scourge of GBVF
Today, ActionSA hosted a picket outside the Provincial Headquarters of the South African Police Service (SAPS), calling for urgent resource capacitation of GBV desks across police stations in the Western Cape and that an audit be done to assess why GBVF cases are continuously struck off the court roll.
Our picket outside the Provincial SAPS Headquarters was sparked by the Western Cape’s ranking as the least safe province for women in a recent study conducted by 1st for Women insurance, but more shockingly, the fact that last year’s revelation by the Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety that over 70 gender-based violence cases were struck off the court roll in just six months.
ActionSA is particularly alarmed by the fact that the Western Cape continues to grapple with an alarming prevalence of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Since 2021 there has been a 13.5% increase in reported sexual offences which now sit at 7310 province wide. Today we took our frustrations straight to the doorstep of the SAPS, as GBV desks at police stations are reportedly not operational.
The crisis in policing and the broken criminal justice system is a significant factor contributing to the unsafe environment for women in the Western Cape, as well as in all other nine provinces. When we consider the sad reality that most cases go unreported, it’s likely that thousands of women and children will never see justice or, even more disturbingly, escape the violence.
Amidst the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa, ActionSA urgently calls on the government to enhance community-led initiatives targeting gender inequality and supporting women-led grassroots organizations. It is imperative that we reinforce all efforts towards a comprehensive strategy, combining prevention and swift response, to eradicate this deeply entrenched scourge from society.