09 December 2021

NICRO reached a total of 721 people through GBV awareness events across South Africa for 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (GBV). 105 people were reached  in Gauteng, 40 in KwaZulu-Natal, 407 were run in Mpumalanga and 169 in the Western Cape.  

We hosted the events and programs, to educate our communities about GBV, and the lasting wounds that it leaves. Our goal was to lower the level of tolerance of GBV at community level, as well as to break the cycle of violence. 

"Working with perpetrators, while educating communities, is key to preventing GBV, says Betzi Pierce, NICRO CEO. 

"The solution to intimate partner violence is in working with perpetrators to change the root of their behaviour, through intensive therapeutic intervention. This is the only way to break the cycle of violence," she elaborated. 

Although NICRO works with offenders, we cannot neglect the victims. 

Victims of GBV are left with scars and need healing. Yet, we often find that we revictimise them either intentionally, through victim shaming, or unintentionally, through the lack of sensitivity training on the part of the SAPS in dealing with their cases. 

These factors may deter victims from reporting incidents of GBV. It may also mean that the statistics on GBV don't reflect the true extent of the scourge, due to the low levels of reporting. 

Over the last year, just 10.2% of our clients went through our 'perpetrators of intimate violence' programme, which may be pointing to the low reporting rates of GBV and domestic violence. 

If we want to stop GBV, the solution lies in changing behaviour on the part of offenders and diminishing tolerance for abuse in our communities. Only by doing this can we take meaningful steps towards ending GBV and creating a safe South Africa. 

To see the photos of the events, please click here: Gallery

Enquiries: 

Enquiries: Betzi Pierce 

Chief Executive Officer at NICRO 

084 810 5154