DURBAN - ETHEKWINI Municipality has entered into a partnership with organisations dedicated to improving the safety of women and children in order to boost its fight against the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in the city.
The municipality recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with NGOs Safetipin, Masiphephe Network and Save the Children South Africa to improve GBV responses in the city.
Safetipin is a non-governmental organisation that works in collaboration with Soul City to improve the safety of women and girls in Cities particularly focused on transport routes.
The city’s report on the matter said the Memorandum of Understanding intends to respond to the 2030 sustainable Development Goals, especially to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls.
“The eThekwini Municipality is faced with finding new ways through which its development role and responsibilities towards eThekwini communities can be realised,” said the report.
It said in order to promote the effectiveness and sustainability of social integration, the need to create an integrated support system with the active involvement of other role players such as community institutions and corporations is a government priority.
“Therefore, the involvement of other role players will encourage various community-based structures to engage and collaborate in advancing gender-based violence responses and improve the safety of children in general.
“The collaboration between eThekwini Municipality with Safetipin, and Masiphephe Network and Save the Children, which aims to optimise local responses on child safety and gender-based violence, is indicative of the city’s commitment and deliberate actions towards the reduction of crimes against women and children,” it said.
This partnership, said the report, and the call by President Cyril Ramaphosa for all citizens to act against gender-based violence and to protect women and children, has relevance, considering the high levels of gender-based violence experienced by women and children in South Africa, which has reached exponential levels in the recent past.
The municipality has identified several sites where the work of the partnerships will be piloted.
THE MERCURY