Statement by Minister Dan Plato - ‘Speak Out – Silence to Strength’ this #16Days

Statement by Dan Plato, Western Cape Minister of Community Safety

‘Speak Out – Silence to Strength’ this #16DaysofActivism

Date: 24 November 2016

Release: Immediate

[Note to editors: Scroll down for the full schedule of events for the Department of Community Safety’s 16 Days of Activism campaign or access it online here]

The Department of Community Safety’s 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence Against Women and Children is already in full swing and we will continue to reach out to communities for the full duration of the internationally observed campaign between 25 November 2016 and 10 December 2016.

This year, we are partnering with different safety stakeholders working within our communities as we urge communities to stop the violence and abuse around the theme: ‘Speak Out – Silence to Strength.

Safety cannot be advanced while we remain silent about violence and abuse out of fear. That is why my Department is taking our message of hope, courage and support to the hearts of communities during our 16 Days of Activism campaign.

We believe that safety is everyone’s responsibility and that it requires our combined activism, awareness and action, to empower victims, families and communities to break the silence around the violence and abuses which are still too prevalent in our communities.

Each one of us has a duty to play in putting an end to domestic violence and abuse towards women and children. If you:

• Are guilty of these offences seek help and stop the abuse.
• Are a victim of such abuse, find the help available to stop the abuse.
• Know of someone who is being abused – it is your duty to report the abuse, to assist the abused and to stop the abuse.

A part of this message is being honest about the causes of violence and abuse in our communities, and the responsibilities each and every person has to stop it.

With as much as 67% of all family violence in communities being attributed to the abuse of alcohol, and up to 70% of crimes in communities attributed to the addiction to substances, we all have to speak out and assist in whichever way we can:

• Report every incident of gender-based and child violence to the nearest police station;
• Enquire at your police station about services available to victims of crime and violence, as well as for the updated directory of services provided. The SAPS has assured me that all police stations have operating victim support rooms; These facilities are a place of safety for you to break the cycle of abuse.
• Obtain an interdict;
• Get to know your local NGOs dealing with domestic Violence and make use of their services;
• Know your rights; and
• Know the contact details of where to get help.

Although government entities provide services throughout the year, the 16 Days of Activism Campaign is an opportunity for both government and society as a whole to renew our commitment to eradicate the violence and abuse too many women, boys and young girls still face.

We are taking our awareness campaign to communities, gathering on street corners, in parks and on open fields so that our message is not confined to community halls filled with the converted. The message must reach the ears of the abusers, and be imprinted in the hearts and spirit of the abused, and ring out to those that stand idly by, in silence at the ongoing abuse. We all need to take the action necessary to end the abuse.

The Western Cape Department of Community Safety campaign is supported by the police, Departments of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of Correctional Services, the City of Cape Town, your Neighbourhood Watches, your Community Police Forums and our safety partners. Together we are asking for the support of all residents of the Western Cape.

We need you to join us, to speak out, and act against the abuse of our women and our children. I invite you to join us over the next 16 days at our various outreach events.

If anyone suspects abuse, report it immediately to SAPS on 10111 (24 hour service), Stop Gender Violence Helpline on 0800 150 150, Childline on 080 055 555 or contact the Western Cape Government Contact Centre on 0800 220 250 (7am – 7pm) to be connected to the Department of Social Development. For support and more information, SMS the word INFO to 35 395, or visit www.westerncape.gov.za