The opening of Cradock’s first Thuthuzela Care Centre for victims of gender-based violence marks a significant milestone in the fight against the scourge in rural Eastern Cape.
Its launch on March 8 fittingly coincided with International Women’s Day and was celebrated by a host of donors and community members.
More than 60 Thuthuzela centres, which are led by the National Prosecuting Authority with the support of family retailer SPAR, are attached to hospitals across the country.
Here, survivors of rape and other sex crimes are offered medical and psychological care as well as potential justice for the attacks against them.
With role-players like medical practitioners, first-responders, police and social workers all under one roof, there is no need for victims to repeat accounts of their ordeal.
The Cradock centre is the third in the Eastern Cape, with the others located at Dora Nginza in Gqeberha and the Queenstown Hospital in Komani.
The new branch is the first in the province to be housed in its own building. Up until this point, the centres have been established within hospitals themselves.
NPA prosecutor Linda le Roux said three years of research and planning had gone into developing the facility. Factors such as the need, prevalence of GBV cases in that area and workload of the regional courts were considered.
“SPAR takes a highly proactive stance in the protection of women and children,” Shadrach said.
“Last year we supported the makeover of the waiting and intermediary rooms at the High Court in Gqeberha to ease the fears of children when testifying in harrowing court cases.”
These initiatives were making a tangible difference in the fight against violence family violence, she said.
Le Roux said standalone centres in hospital precincts were the way forward for future Thuthuzela facilities.
“Thanks to the private sector we are showing that we are not only dependent on government to tackle GBV,” she said.
“We are taking one another’s hand to make a difference.”
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The opening of Cradock’s first Thuthuzela Care Centre for victims of gender-based violence marks a significant milestone in the fight against the scourge in rural Eastern Cape.
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