Women in law enforcement have been encouraged to publicly denounce the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) and to assist vulnerable members of society to resist all forms of discrimination and abuse. Wrapping up Women’s Month activities in September, the JMPD’s Community Outreach Unit hosted an event themed ‘Celebrating the strength of our women,’ to inspire City employees to stem the tide against GBV.

The event was attended by women from various sectors in society, including the JMPD, South African Police Service (SAPS), and the Wits Reproductive Health Institute (WRHI). Inspector Ann Padayachee from the JMPD’s Outreach Unit says victims of gender-based violence usually don’t realise it when it’s perpetrated against them.
 
Padayachee says women need to understand gender-based violence as any form of abuse directed at a person based on their gender or sex, including acts of physical, mental, or sexual injury or suffering, threats of such actions, coercion, and other forms of liberty deprivation.

“GBV also covers breaches of women's rights in conditions of armed conflicts, such as systematic rape, sexual enslavement, forced pregnancy, etc,” she says.
 
Padayachee adds that physical, sexual, and psychological violence committed or sanctioned within the family, the larger community, or by the government and its institutions can be prevented through stricter law enforcement. Approximately 51 percent of women in South Africa have experienced GBV, whereas 76 percent of males have perpetrated GBV at some point in their lives (2010 Gauteng Sample). Crime statistics from SAPS indicate that a total of 2 695 women were killed during GBV incidents in the financial year 2019/20.

Padayachee says GBV promotes and reinforces gender inequality, obstructing women’s, and girls' ability to contribute to social change and equality. She notes that women need to keep raising the alarm against perpetrators of GBV.