​Gauteng Social Development MEC, Faith Mazibuko, has handed over educational toys to fourteen (14) shelters for abused women and children as part of the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children at Alberton Methodist Church, Ekurhuleni on Thursday, 05 December 2024,.
The No 2 Violence Board Games are expected to play a vital role in eradicating the scourge of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) through play by increasing children’s understanding of the dehumanizing effects of GBVF.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Mazibuko said, “Shelters represent a critical point of crisis intervention. They serve as homes and safe spaces for women, men, and their children, who are extremely vulnerable as a result of gender-based violence.”

She added, “By providing immediate refuge from crime and violence, they promote the right to security for the victim. Among other things, they create an enabling environment where the victim can be empowered, healed, equipped with skills to be employable, and reintegrated back into society.”

Mazibuko stated that by monitoring, the department recognizes that children are neglected, as the victim is often perceived to be the parent who has suffered the abuse, forgetting that the child also witnesses the trauma. Our programs for children were recreational and educational but not psychological; therefore, in 2022, the Department ensured that all social workers working within the shelters are trained with accredited play therapy to strengthen the children’s program.

The games will also be rolled out to Orphaned and Vulnerable Children who are being assisted with homework and fed by Non-Profit Organizations funded by the department as part of the campaign.

The game will be facilitated by social workers during therapeutic and educational sessions, will help eradicate future perpetrators of violence.