UNODC launches Western Cape campaign to counter violence against women and children and calls for people to “Blow the Vuvuzela on Violence”
Not all the Vuvuzelas being blown in the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup will be to support football teams, if the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has its way.
This is thanks to a campaign calling on people of the Western Cape to “Blow the Vuvuzela on Violence”.
The campaign has been launched by UNODC in partnership with the Department of Social Development (DSD) through funding from the European Union (EU).
“It is aimed at raising awareness around gender- and child-based violence, and calls for people across all spectrums to speak out against these social evils and use the focus of the World Cup to highlight the plight of these victims”, said Sharon Kouta, UNODC Victim Empowerment Programme Provincial Programme Coordinator for the Western Cape at a press conference in Ravensmead, Cape Town, today.
Violence against women and children— societies most vulnerable groups — is an everyday reality for millions in South Africa and the rest of the world. Physically, verbally, sexually and economically, the abuse directed against these groups is extensive and the UNODC is committed to eradicating this abuse.
The campaign plays on the popular “blow the whistle” tagline and calls for the eradication of violence against women and children — encouraging victims to rally together and collectively reverse this scourge.
During the campaign, sporting events will be held in areas across the Western Cape to keep learners occupied in a constructive way, while providing them with practical information about where to get help if they fall victim to crime. These areas include Ravensmead (15 June), Khayelithsa (18 June), Riversdale (19 June), Caledon (22 June), Hanover Park (23 June), Atlantis (24 June), Somerset West (26 June), Beaufort West (29 June), Mitchells Plain (30 June) and Vredendal (2 July).
“A key purpose of the Victim Empowerment Programme is to facilitate the establishment and integration of inter-departmental and inter-sectoral programmes and policies for the support, protection and empowerment of victims of crime and violence. It is therefore inspiring to see so many representatives from Government and civil society here today”, concluded Kouta.
Background:
Launched in 2008, the Support to South Africa’s Victim Empowerment Programme is a joint initiative between UNODC Southern Africa and DSD, funded by the EU. The project was developed to facilitate the establishment and integration of interdepartmental/inter-sectoral programmes and policies for the support, protection and empowerment of victims of crime and violence, particularly with regards to women and children. The VEP objective is to contribute to building safe and peaceful communities, strengthening the human rights culture and providing more effective, multi-sectoral, coordinated responses victims of crime and trauma.
Issued by HWB Communications on behalf of UNODC
For more information contact:
Naomi Uys
Telephone: 021 462 0416
Cell: 082 707 6394
Email: Naomi@hwb.co.za
or
Sharon Kouta
UNODC Western Cape Provincial VEP Co-ordinator
Telephone: 021 483 6446
Cell: 078 458 9478
Email: Sharon.kouta@unodc.org
