#Don'tLookAway: Victims urged to use gender based violence hotline

Published Nov 24, 2017

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Johannesburg - As South Africans begin observing 16 Days of Activism, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini on Friday encouraged victims of abuse to make use of the department’s Gender Based Violence Command Centre (GBVCC). 

The centre was established by the department to assist survivors of gender-based violence by providing them with support and guidance from trained social workers. 

It uses mobile technology to estimate the location of a caller, assign the closest social worker in the field to the case, and record and receive continuous feedback on the case. 

The centre is available 24 hours and offers a comprehensive, integrated system that provides immediate, consistent, coordinated and timely support to survivors of GBV. 

It's services are also linked to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Emergency Management Services and the Department of Health. 

 Speaking of the centre, Dlamini said: “the command centre is aimed at making the department as responsive as possible to gender-based violence. 

"Additional functionality available to the department on a real-time basis includes strategic reporting which will highlight trends in specific locations or types of violence occurring, as well as an indication of demand for social workers in a specific district.”

The minister added that the command centre has contributed immensely to gvernment’s interventions on gender-based violence by being a rapid response mechanism that helps deal speedily and effectively with issues wherever they arise.

To contact the GBV Command Centre, call the toll-free number: 0800428428; or send a Please Call Me to *120* 7867# or SMS Help to 31531 or Skype HelpMeGBV

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