SLSJ launches booklet to raise awareness of GBV

ANSELA SLOMAN

On 28 March the Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ) held an event to mark the launch of a booklet they put together to raise awareness of genderbased violence (GBV) in South Africa and inform people about the rights of victims of GBV.

“This project is actually something we inherited from the previous SLSJ […] they did the research and put [the booklet] together but never had the chance to fully launch it. […] It was taken over by us, particularly Amy Cotterrell […] who is the research coordinator [of the SLSJ],'' says Christopher Breektze, head of the SLSJ.

The booklet itself contains information about what GBV is, raising awareness about the different forms of GBV and providing a more nuanced understanding of the concept.

“GBV is more than outward physical harm that is caused by others, and it is definitely not a private matter to be ashamed of,” reads page two of the booklet. “Sometimes, your rights are violated without you even knowing it.”

The booklet goes on to describe the forms of abuse that are included under the Domestic Violence Act, such as physical, emotional, psychological, economic, and sexual abuse, as well as other acts such as property damage, unauthorised entry into the victims residence, stalking and other forms of harassment.

These descriptions are included to provide potential victims with information about what different kinds of abuse can look like. Breektze says, “The purpose of the booklet is to provide information about what to do in cases of gender-based violence in respect of the law and to inform any person about what gender-based violence is […], particularly in a South African context.”

Information is provided about the legal remedies available to victims of GBV, including how to get a protection order at a Magistrates Court, as well as organisations which can assist victims if they do not want to go to the police. Emergency contact numbers are also provided for victims to reach out to, such as Childline, the GBV Command Centre and South African Police Crime Stop.

“My predecessors got the information from various sources,” says Amy Cotterrel, who is the research coordinator of the SLSJ and was the organiser of the booklet launch event. “They went to the police station to get information, they consulted someone from the [Stellenbosch] Law Clinic, so the information was drawn from various sources.”

The booklet launch also had Jessica Dewhurst, founder of the youth-led human rights organisation, the Justice Desk Africa, as a guest speaker.

The Justice Desk is a nonprofit organisation which, through various projects, promotes access to human rights through empowering communities to fight injustice.

“Our mission is to empower everyday people, within all areas of society, to understand, defend and access their fundamental human rights,” the Justice Desk website explains. “We believe that the everyday person understands their community and unique contexts like no other, and therefore are best suited to challenge the injustices that affect them and work towards transforming their communities for the better.”

Dewhurst highlighted the importance of knowing your rights, while also highlighting the fact that just because a country has good rights on paper, does not mean that people have real access to them.

“Just because something is a law does not mean it is the lived reality of people,” said Dewhurst.