Empowering the community: ACVV Westridge's fight against gender-based violence
Mitchell's Plain police Sergeant Candice Williams and Constable Enrich Nicke sharing information on how police work.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Sophia Henricks and Samantha Plaatjies sharing information about their organisation, ACVV.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Some members of the community and organisations attended an informative meeting at ACVV in Westridge last Friday and left empowered.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Members of the child protection non-profit organisation, ACVV's Mitchell’s Plain branch in Westridge, hosted an information session on Friday morning, December 5, to educate the community about home safety and the support services available to those experiencing gender-based violence (GBV).
The event was part of their 16 Days of Activism campaign, and concluded with a lunch for attendees.
Auxiliary social worker Samantha Plaatjies said the outreach aimed to empower women and community members with essential information about relevant government and non-governmental organisations that can assist with GBV cases.
“The programme was an information session for women of all ages. While our organisation primarily works with children, we ensure to provide the community with the correct information and direct them to the relevant services. Our doors are always open, and we encourage people to report cases to us. We mostly do referrals,” she said.
The child protection organisation invited representatives from the Mitchell’s Plain police station and Mosaic, a GBV prevention organisation, to share their services with attendees.
Ms Plaatjies said the ACVV hopes to raise awareness about the work they do, as many people still do not know where to find them.
“We want to highlight the services that we, and other organisations, offer. Many people look for us in the wrong places, so it is important for us to emphasise that our offices are based in Westridge,” she added.
Mosaic’s Mekaylnne Daniels explained the organisation’s support programmes, and encouraged women seeking protection orders or assistance with abuse to visit Mosaic at the Mitchell’s Plain court.
“We explained the step-by-step process of seeking help. We provide the information and guidance they need, but ultimately, the decision lies with them. Our role is to empower, not to decide for them,” said Ms Daniels.
She said Mosaic provides counselling, awareness programmes, workshops, assistance with protection orders, and other services, supporting people of all genders.
Sergeant Candice Williams from the Mitchell’s Plain police station encouraged women to make use of their victim support facilities, describing their offices as “a hospital” for those seeking help.
“In our victim support room, we operate much like social workers. We assist victims of abuse and visit schools to raise awareness. We want to encourage community members to report cases of abuse or any other crime,” she said.
Resident Valerie Hendricks said that the session was informative and beneficial, appreciating the opportunity to learn about services she had not been aware of before.
Contact details for the various organisations:
- ACVV Mitchell’s Plain: 021 394 4147
- Police (Sgt Williams): 082 420 4740
- Mosaic (Mekaylnne Daniels): 064 937 9695; mekalynne@mosaic.org.za or info@mosaic.org.za