THE 16 days of Activism against women and children themed, Count me in: Together moving non-violent South Africa forward, has officially been launched by the Oudtshoorn Municipality and various stakeholders last Friday.
One of the highlights of this event was the motivational testimony of Salome Plaatjies of Plumbline Restoration, a community-based organisation providing counselling.
Plaatjies, a survivor of abuse, told attendees that her experiences have encouraged her to be a strong woman, despite the mistreatment.
“Being abused and rejected is a horrible experience. I want to motivate you today with my story that the situation can change, and that you can also use your stories to motivate others who need help,” she said.
The Deputy Mayor, Noluthando Mwati, was the guest speaker and appealed to residents of the Greater Oudtshoorn to join efforts to curb the abuse of women and children.
“This pandemic remains a cause for concern in our society. Its ugly face and the level of brutality make it worse because it knows no age; it knows no race and it leaves pain and permanent scars in the society and leads to family breakdown,” Mwati said.
According to Oudtshoorn’s area courts manager, Royden Boonzaaier, Oudtshoorn is seventh on the list of towns and neighbourhoods in the Western Cape regarding the number of domestic violence cases, following the neighbourhoods Michell’s Plain, Delft, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Harare and Atlantis.
“Rural women and children and in particular those within the farming communities of the Western Cape remain of the most vulnerable within our society,” Boonzaaier said.
Meanwhile, Doc Skosana, acting manager social work services in the Southern Cape Management Area, gave a bleak picture of the overcrowding at the Oudtshoorn Correctional facility.
“Our prison is packed to capacity with offenders.
“Programmes such as these would help minimize these increasing numbers,” said Skosana.
• The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children is a national campaign which commences every year on 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on 10 December (International Human Rights Day).
