IN a bid to educate young women about the importance of speaking out about gender-based violence, NPOs Trailblazers Africa and On Eagles’ Wings recently hosted a “Stop Gender-based Violence” workshop at Trailblazers Africa in Arcadia, Humansdorp.
According to Marshall Geswint, the founder and visionary of Trailblazers Africa, an NPO focused on youth development and transformation in Africa, Pastor Mercy Cwayi, who is the founder of On Eagles’ Wings, an NPO focused on family healing, restoration, and upliftment in Jeffreys Bay, requested that his organisation host a workshop for young girls in Humansdorp, which they gladly agreed to.
Geswint said the event, which was planned for 50 participants in the community, saw a total of 70 girls, aged between 10 and 18, who were all interested in learning more about preventing gender-based violence.
He said it was important for their organisation to host the workshop because the various negative aspects about Humansdorp had been filling news bulletins for the last four years, which has resulted in very low morale among young people in the community.
“In the past four years, at least 45 young people were killed in Humansdorp, with knives, pangas and guns and many young people have turned to gangsterism because they experienced gender-based violence in their own homes growing up,” said Geswint.
“In addition, since the start of the new year, at least four dead bodies were found with bullet wounds in the streets of Humansdorp.
“If there is a place that needs intervention and programmes like these, during this time, it is Humansdorp.”
Some of the speakers at the workshop included Priscilla Pockbass and Rose Geswint, from the Humansdorp Victim Support Centre, Roshenette Kettledas, Henrietta Kettledas and Andrea Kettledas, from Girls to Girls, and Joubin Saffier and Rewaan Kriega, from Kouga Social and Rural Development.
At the workshop, Pockbass shared information about how to handle a gender-based violence situation.
In addition, speakers also addressed issues such as the importance of breaking the silence around gender-based violence, substance abuse, which contributes to gender–based violence, the importance of sexual purity and the restoration of identity, in a community filled with crime.
During the workshop they also handed out sanitary towels to the young women.
“I hope the workshop will inspire young people to speak out when they experience gender-based violence and encourage their friends in the community to speak out as well,” said Geswint.
He said the young girls were positively impacted by the workshop and requested that they have similar workshops in the area soon.
Geswint said they previously had similar presentations in Humansdorp, but on a smaller scale.
However, they plan to host bigger campaigns soon which will be dependent on the government’s COVID-19 regulations.
“I would like to urge various government entities, churches, businesses in the community and the Department of Social Development to do more in the fight against gender-based violence,” said Geswint.
