2,500 girls, women counselled for trauma in 2023

Last year over 2,000 women and 400 girls under 18 received counselling and other support services to deal with trauma, from the police alone, the service has revealed.

Aisha Corbie, head of the police’s social support services, shared the figures when she spoke to a gathering of secondary-school girls at a self-defence workshop, hosted by Project Phoenix Belmont, together with the police Victim and Support Unit on March 18.

The workshop was held at the Belmont Community Centre, where girls can go for counselling, as part of a programme offered by the workshop's organisers.

“In the recent past,” she said, “the media has been littered with various incidents impacting our women and girls, from unfortunate homicides, robberies, assaults, sexual assaults and other (events that) end unfortunately in a homicide.

“The Victim Support Unit...provided assistance just in the year 2023 to 2,486 women, with 419 of them being our girls.

“This year, we are hoping the numbers don’t go in that direction.”

Since the start of the year, the police have provided support for 226 women, including 46 girls.

“Empowering, educating, supporting, uplifting our girls is a key focus (for us).

“This programme will do just those things, It will give you the tools, not just to protect yourselves, but also to give you a chance to (determine) what happens to your body and how; give you a chance to say ‘no’ with strength behind it, but also give you a chance to use that strength in a disciplined manner.”