Page 14 - SCAT GBV Report - Addressing Gender-Based Violence - 2021

When we started with GBV, we didn’t start with strategies or solutions. We had information sessions unpacking what it is – according to the women in the informal settlements, not from the school or the dictionary. From there we mapped where to get help ... we had a roundtable discussion to talk with other partners around GBV, and we did research ... We presented and discussed and came out with solutions.
Nobuzwe Mofokeng, ILDA.
We are grounded in the community ... You need to show some good leadership and we are trying to be involved in as many matters as can be in the community to change polices and influence decisions that are important for our work – such as GBV and access to justice.
Jonathan van der Westhuizen, SALDA.
For those LDA that started to work more pointedly on issues of gender in recent years, this was partly a reaction to the lack of GBV-related services and support within their communities and the increased vocalisation of local concerns about GBV, and its causes and consequences.
It was not a choice, but it was a need to start working with GBV in our area ... due to various social problems that are characterised by the high rate of women abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence.
Phumla Gojela, CARE.
We were planning strategically and we thought no, we need to give a broader focus onto this burning issue. In the current moment in our community it is violence against women, children, and gender issues ... It’s a community concern and we need to go in and help with assistance. And so, we needed to install this as a programme focus for the organisation.
Jonathan van der Westhuizen, SALDA.
You will find that historically women were struggling in the traditional areas. Women and children are the most disadvantaged in the areas of traditional authorities. We felt it was necessary to make a voice for them, and to have a programme that is dealing with domestic violence. Thembinkosi Hlati, MFAO.
There are historical silences within communities when it comes to the presence of gender discrimination, coupled with powerful social norms regarding how GBV victims are expected to respond. LDAs seek to challenge these norms and silences by exposing the issues and creating platforms for those who experience violence and abuse – specifically women – to speak out. This approach disrupts the suppression of women’s experiences and the relegation of domestic violence to a ‘private’ matter deemed most ‘appropriately’ dealt with inside, rather than outside, the home. As such, LDAs aim to offer a safe space where silences, and the violations they mask, can be broken. Central to this is recognition of the agency of GBV survivors, who the LDAs then seek to support in accessing legal recourse and social services.
It happens behind closed doors. We need to open those doors and let those women out and speak. And also, those women are the solution- finding strategies.
Nobuzwe Mofokeng, ILDA.
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“Finish this Elephant”: Rural Community Organisations’ Strategic Approaches to Addressing GBV