KWANONQABA NEWS - The KwaNonqaba Police have urged people, especially women, to report incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault, assuring that they will always find a safe space and someone willing to help at the station.
KwaNonqaba Social Crime Prevention officer, gender-based violence coordinator and the station's victim-friendly room coordinator, Sergeant Salomé Marais, said that while it appears that cases of sexual assault and assault have not increased over the past year, they are a concern within the KwaNonqaba policing area.
KwaNonqaba Police Station spokesperson Warrant Officer Kappie Kapp said sexual assault cases usually occurred late at night or in the early hours of the morning. He said perpetrators were sometimes known to the victim and sometimes unknown.
He urged people to drink responsibly on weekends, not to stay out too late and to always be aware of their surroundings, and walk to places in groups.
He said if someone is sexually assaulted, they should call the police, who will then contact the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Investigations Unit in Mossel Bay. The FCS Unit will then arrange for the victim to see a doctor or go to the hospital, where a rape kit will be used and the victim will be treated. Kapp said the station would also arrange trauma counselling for the victim and a safe place for them to stay if they needed it.
Marais said she wanted people who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to know that the KwaNonqaba Police Station is a safe space to report incidents and that they will always be assisted.
"Both men and women report cases of sexual assault and domestic violence. Most victims are women but we want men to know that when they come forward to report any incidents, they are complainants in the matter and will be treated as such," she said.
"We have processes in place here, so if you feel you have no one to turn to, please call the police. There are systems in place to help you. It takes a lot of a person to come to the station and ask for help so we will never turn a person away who needs assistance," she said.
"We will listen, we will help and we will advise," said Marais. She said most victims, when reporting a sexual assault or domestic violence incident, would go to the trauma room at the station, where they would be assisted. The KwaNonqaba Police are also able to assist victims in applying for protection orders.
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