Domestic violence topic of workshop

It is not the first time that representatives from government or N.G.O.s have sat down to formulate plans to tackle the problem of domestic violence. Although to date there are no statistics available on the abuse of women, the Department of Women’s Affairs believes that the crime is on the rise, despite the fact that for six years now, battered women have been protected by law, through the Domestic Violence Act of 1992. According to Brenda Garbutt, D.W.A.’s Acting Director, and a facilitator of the workshop, she believes there are a number of reasons why women are still being abused.

Brenda Garbutt, Acting Director, D.W.A.

“Well, we don’t. I don’t think there is only one answer. I think there are a number of different things, our socialization, sometimes the way we were brought up, a number of different things, the machismo in men. I can’t really put my hands on it to say exactly what it is.”

Q: “Do you all have any specific plans as to what you all would like to implement at this time?”

Brenda Garbutt

“Okay what we are trying to do right now is to develop mechanisms where we can gather statistics to see exactly how much people are being affected by domestic violence. We are also working hard at education and sensitization programs that will help people to know exactly what is domestic violence.”

Garbutt says by the end of the one day workshop a number of recommendations will be made to develop a National Plan of Action that will address specifically, domestic violence.