Women activists say society needs to come up with proactive and preventative measures to curb the scourge of gender-based violence.

This was part of a dialogue at the International Women’s Day commemoration hosted by the Eastern Cape government in Bhisho yesterday.

One of the delegates at the dialogue, Wendy Kiviet, has called on all sectors of society to play an active role to bring down the numbers.

“We need a collaborated effort with government, local community leaders form the religious community and all government departments must come and assist us. Also we want to look which household have women and kids who are victimised.”

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The government has been promising to intensify efforts to combat the scourge of violence and working closely with law enforcement to create safer communities.

International Women’s Day is also a reminder of the nurturing role women play as mothers and caregivers in society and is also an acknowledgement of their leadership roles to help build economies in a male-dominated world.