The GBV Intervention seeks to mitigate the scourge of underage drinking and the 'Pens Down' culture that is a celebration of the end of examinations and is regrettably characterized by excessive consumption of alcohol that often results in very horrific incidents, such as the Enyobeni Tavern incident, Gender -Based Violence, risky behaviours and rape cases.
About 120 people attended the event, including children, parents and community leaders from Ndevana.
SAPS condemned this new culture of underage drinking and urged communities to not sit back and watch while children’s futures are being destroyed. Sgt Kenene said, “we are urging young people to refrain from hosting these pens down events. Communities, parents and children must report to us any events that are being planned so that we can shut them down”.
Mr Mampofu from NPA who is a community prosecutor addressed parents about keeping mum when their children are being sexually violated by their partners, “When we investigate child rapes we tend to discover that there are people who knew about these violations and kept quiet. Not reporting child sexual abuse is a crime”.
The representative from the Commission for Gender Equality mainly spoke about peer pressure and how following friends can lead to them destroying their future. I.e. being pressured into using drugs or having sex resulting in unwanted pregnancies.
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