Cape Town - From today, women in South Africa will be able to contact the National Shelter Movement of South Africa’s (NSMSA) 24-hour toll-free shelter helpline – the first national helpline dedicated to issues of domestic and intimate partner violence.
The line, launched yesterday, will serve women by helping them find a conveniently located place of safety from domestic abuse and provide information about obtaining protection orders or advice on issues when dealing with police.
Head of the executive of NSMSA Zubeda Dangor said their research revealed that referrals were poor, “since police officers did not often know where to find shelters or, in some cases, did not make the effort to find out where these facilities may be”.
“One of the key issues we have found in our work over the years is that women do not know, first of all, that shelters for abused women are available and that there may be one close to them. With the National Shelter Helpline, we will be in a much better position to ensure that women find and are placed in a shelter that is convenient for them (where possible), so as to not disrupt their lives any more than it has been already,” she said.
National Shelter Helpline Project lead advocate Bernadine Bachar said the helpline would be worth it if more lives could be saved by ensuring that more victims of abuse got access to shelter services.
“Up to now, much of our efforts have been spent supporting shelters in various ways, in particular, advocating for more support and funds for shelter services from government. The NSMSA has spent considerable time shining a light on the chronic underfunding of shelters for abused women around the country.
“This is the first time that the NSMSA is attempting such a massive project. Through this project, made possible by the Ford Foundation, the NSMSA is better able to make an even bigger impact in national efforts to stem the scourge of femicide in the country,” said Bachar.
Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez said: “I welcome this much-need initiative.
“This helpline will serve as an additional safety measure for women needing to escape from a violent or abusive situation at home.
“I would also like to urge all women, both young and old, to ensure that they have emergency gender-based violence contact numbers saved on your phones. One can never be certain if they will be in a situation where help is urgently needed,” she said.
People can contact the line by calling 0800 001 005, SMS, WhatsApp or Please call me to 082 057 8600, 082 058 2215, 072 230 7147.
Cape Argus