16 Days of Activism: Serving Abused Women and Children - Colonel Anneke Pienaar
"It is always about what is best for the victim and what they prefer".
16 Days of Activism Against Woman and Child Abuse raises awareness of this dark social reality.
For Colonel Anneke Pienaar, helping and serving victims to become survivors, is her life's work.
She started her career in the SA Police 40 years ago and for the past 30 years, she's been attached to the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigation unit.
"It's a calling. Not everyone wants to work in an environment like this," says Pienaar.
According to Pienaar, domestic violence is not officially recorded as an independent crime and therefore it's difficult to put a number to how many incidents took place in a specific time.
"Domestic violence involves assault, rape, attempted murder and murder, as well as things like stalking," says Pienaar
She adds: "If we want to identify domestic violence as one, it has implications on sentencing and conviction." Our justice system does not allow for the grouping all these crimes as one.
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Rather than comparing the numbers over the decades, Col. Pienaar is clear on how the nature of the abuse of women and their children has changed.
"The abuse has become more violent," says Pienaar.
On the flip side, Pienaar says reporting of abuse has vastly improved, because women are more aware of their rights and what they can do. There are also more organisations that help.
The role of the media in this, she says, cannot be underestimated.
The SA Police also has clear obligations to support these rights.
Many women who report domestic violence do not institute legal action against the offender.
"Sometimes there's kiss and make up. Sometimes there is real remorse from the offender," says Pienaar.
Pienaar says this is the most difficult part of her job.
Still, if she had a choice, she would do it again.
Domestic abuse is a reality form many women and children and speaking out is the first and most important step to change this reality.
There is one thing, that everybody can do, to prevent the violence.