12 Dec 2024

Protection of victims of gender-based-violence (GBV) through establishment of peace desks at magistrate courts would be a quick and effective way of addressing Gender Based Violence (GBV) scourge.

Member of Parliament for Kgatleng West, Dr Unity Dow said when tabling an urgent motion in Parliament on Wednesday.

“It is going to be quick, effective and show us the scale of the problem,” she said.

The motion requested government to establish as a matter of urgency, peace desks and assign officers at Magistrate Court and Police Stations to facilitate and enable the use of Section 335 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act as a quick, effective and efficient procedure for the protection of victims of GBV.

She said when implemented, GBV victims would directly approach the Magistrate court, bypassing existing barriers to access to justice.

Dr Dow highlighted that challenges to access to justice included among others, distance to the justice system, court procedures and processes, language barrier, intimidating posture of the court, culture as well as lack of resources by victims.

Therefore, she said creating peace desks with assigned officers would help to avoid tedious and long processes of accessing justice.

The MP said although the Domestic Violence Act was a viable option to fighting GBV, its main undoing was that it faced common challenges to access to justice, which included a lot of paperwork, having to serve the perpetrator and engaging lawyers among others.

Therefore, she said the proposed arrangement would be hustle free hence allowing more victims to report GBV.

Dr Dow said the remedy provided by Section 335 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act had been there for years and yet remained unused, adding that the motion sought to create its operationalisation.

She further stated that the motion was not calling for the creation of a new office nor amending of the existing laws.

GBV peace desk officers would work even on weekends, to attend to clients in need, Dr Dow said and explained that was admired as being democratic and peaceful yet GBV was robbing the country of its glory. Ends