ENDING GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
SPAR’s stand against the scourge of genderbased violence in our country stems from our values of family, entrepreneurship, and passion – commitment to entrepreneurs and the families they support, the families who support us, and our passion for speaking up on what we believe.
As a business closely involved with the communities we serve, we cannot be silent in the face of the daily occurrence of GBV. We believe that action to end GBV must be a daily occurrence too, and it must be about more than words.
At SPAR, we believe passionately in meaningful action and supporting real change in people’s lives. Our retail network and market-leading position lend us not only the privilege of a strong, collective voice with which to speak out, but also the responsibility to do so, and a platform to drive action and change.
It is a responsibility we take seriously, and as such we work with our stores and employees, partner organisations and community stakeholders to raise awareness of GBV, which can involve physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse, and can happen to anyone.
Awareness and knowledge of their rights is key for victims of GBV to take back their power. To support GBV survivors, SPAR partners with LifeLine SA and their END GBV support helpline. We are assisting with upgrading and expanding their call centre, and ensuring that there are sufficient trained, professional counsellors to respond to callers needing GBV counselling and support. We are proud of this partnership which enables us to make a substantial difference in many lives.
We also support the Thuthuzela Care Centres, one-stop facilities that fall under the National Prosecuting Authority to support victims of rape, sexual and gender-based offences, child abuse, domestic violence and human trafficking. These centres play an important role in protecting the dignity of survivors and reducing secondary victimisation, as well as enabling the wheels of justice to turn against perpetrators.
Violence is always unacceptable, and violence against the most vulnerable in our society even more so. SPAR will continue to champion the rights of victims and survivors, because they deserve better, and we as a society must do better.