The majority of shelters are not safe for women and children. This is according to the Commission on Gender Equality. It briefs Parliament’s Public Works and Infrastructure Portfolio Committee about the progress of a multi-year investigation into the state of shelters across the country.
The investigation was conducted from 2019 to 2022.
The Commission’s CEO Dennis Matotoka says security staff at shelters are often inadequately trained.
“The language used by security personnel is very discouraging. It says the people guarding victims are not vetted. Look at survivors as potential sexual, there is a risk that they could worse rape some of the survivors.”
Matotoka adds that security guards at shelters are often also not equipped to defend victims in case of a breach of security.
“Some of them don’t even have proper protective equipment, they use pepper spray, if someone comes there where the perpetrator came with guns it means security personnel won’t be able to assist because only have pepper spray.”
