The National Gender-based Violence Command Call Centre has referred more than 320 GBV cases to the Western Cape Social Development Department in the five months since lockdown started.
The department says its Victim Empowerment Programme renders services to victims of crime and violence, through the provision of shelter services and psychosocial support.
The department’s spokesperson, Joshua Chigome says, “For the larger part of the COVID-19 pandemic, women all over South Africa are constrained to their homes, consequently the Provincial Department of Social Development has had to establish measures so that victims of GBV are able to access the necessary support services. As a department we will continue to work tirelessly to improve services we deliver to victims of GBV. Together we can give women who have been victims of abuse, a voice.”
In the video below, the number of GBV incidents reported since the start of level 3 of the national lockdown has increased:
In June, Parliament debated Gender-Based Violence:
In recent months, a number of protests have been held to against gender-based violence:
