Africa-Press – South-Africa. With Women’s month slowly wrapping up, Western Cape police say violence against women continues to plague the province, with 12 832 domestic violence cases reported between January and June.
Provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, this week unpacked the latest quarterly crime stats for the past three months.
Patekile said between January and March, there were 6 642 cases of domestic violence against women, and from April to June, there were 6 190 cases reported to Western Cape police.
According to the stats, between January and March, 4 630 women were assaulted, while 4 224 were assaulted between April and June.
Nearly three-quarters of domestic violence cases in the Western Cape between April and June were perpetrated against women.
Cape Town also recorded the most cases of rape in the province, with 60% of rape cases reported in the city during this period.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said domestic violence-related crimes remained a concern for SAPS in the province.
“More perturbing is the fact that the majority of incidents occur behind closed doors, making it difficult for police to avert some of the violence. Crime analysis also indicates that in most instances, the victim and perpetrator have a relational link,” said Potelwa.
Police said every endeavour was made to bring awareness to communities on the dangers of this crime category as well as avenues potential “victims can explore to ensure their safety”.
Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, said the high rate of domestic violence was “pure evil”.
“It is a matter that none of us can run away from, as it is either occurring in our own homes, the neighbours in our street, in the community, or within the extended family.
“If this was not the case, we would not continue to see these ridiculous and frightening statistics. I refuse to have domestic violence matters continue in this fashion, and I encourage all communities to address this evil with me. We cannot be silent or sit idly around while it happens around us,” said Allen.
Bernadine Bachar, director of the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children, said the shelter had seen a noticeable increase in domestic violence cases brought to them.
“Most women who approach us for support have suffered intimate partner violence, elder abuse or abuse perpetrated against them by a family member. Our shelter is consistently full,” said Bachar.
She added that last year, the shelter assisted 3 098 women and children who were victims of abuse and had come to the shelter to seek guidance and assistance.
Bachar said the centre offered a wide range of services to holistically support survivors of gender-based violence and their children, such as legal assistance services, substance abuse support, psycho-social services, child protection services, a shelter programme that included transitional housing, and economic empowerment programmes.
Bachar added that their recent research showed that once victims enrolled in their programmes to better their circumstances, over 70% of women did not return to abusive partners.
“It’s a privilege to see the difference in our clients once they are empowered through our programmes and can start a new chapter without the abuse.”They simply blossom, and it’s incredible to see the physical, emotional, psychological and mental changes they achieve through committing to the programmes,” said Bachar.
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