CAPE TOWN – As thousands across the country joined peaceful protests of solidarity to honour the Women’s Shutdown and raise awareness about gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), Pelican Park High School was joined by members of Grassy Park police to mark the symbolic event.
Armed with placards opposing GBVF and dressed in solidarity colours which included black and purple, learners, teachers and parents held a demonstration at the school gates for a powerful display of unity.
Pelican Park High School united and wore black and purple to honour the Women’s Shutdown and those suffering at the hands of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). Photos: supplied. 
Grassy Park police offered their support for Pelican Park High School on the day. 
Learners, staff, parents and the broader Pelican Park community gathered outside the school and joined the school’s demonstration. 
Perivale Primary School also showed their support for the Womens’s Shutdown.
The participants stood together to highlight the urgency of ending GBVF.
Sgt Alridge Issacs, Grassy Park Police Station spokesperson, said two of their sector commanders, Sgt Eugene Nel and Const Brandon Issacs, joined the demonstration.
The school was inspired to unite and join the cause by Shahd Shadrick.
The Grade 8 learner approached the school principal, Shariefa Clark, urging that the school should take an active stand.
Shadrick, in partnership with the Representative Council of Learners (RCL), voiced his feelings on the matter, saying that young people “cannot be silenced” in the face of violence against women and children.
Clark said she enjoys championing awareness programmes and community empowerment. “Our learners are at the heart of social change. When they take initiative, we stand with them,” she said.
Clark described the demonstration as “true humanity and Ubuntu in action”.
“We cannot be silent in the face of violence,” she added. “Our voices matter, and today, our community showed that we stand together,” she said.
Clark encouraged victims and families exposed to GBVF to report such incidents through the following methods: talk to someone you trust, seek help from support networks or professionals, report the incident to the police or open a criminal case against the perpetrator.
“Pelican Park High School continues to reaffirm its commitment to creating a safe, aware, and socially responsible learning environment,” she said.
