Two GBV shelters opened on the West Coast
IN AN effort to better cater for vulnerable women and children, the Department of Social Development (DSD) has unveiled wnew gender-based violence shelters on the West Coast.
The Daisy Safehouse and Aalwyn Place of Safety, shelters for victims of gender-based violence (GBV), are the second and third to be opened in the country, following all the respective properties made available by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) for GBV safe houses, in all the provinces across the country.
Speaking at the launch of the shelters, Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez said that the provision of safe spaces for GBV victims was a crucial component of the Western Cape Government’s effort to ensure that there are support services for victims of GBV.
She said: “I would like to thank the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for availing six properties, in rural areas across the Western Cape, to be used as safe spaces for victims of violence and abuse.
“To better the lives of some of the most vulnerable citizens of our province, the DSD has partnered with Siyabonga and Community Cohesion non-profit organisations, that render emergency shelter accommodation to victims of crime and violence, and their children, in a crisis where their safety is at risk in the West Coast region,” said Fernandez.
According to the department, for admission into either of the safehouses, one would have to be experiencing physical and life-threatening circumstances; be a victim of intimate partner violence and/or domestic violence. The houses are also set to cater to all denominations, races, and cultures.
“One woman and/or child violated is one too many. By working together, we can have #OneVoice united against GBV – 365 days of the year,” Fernandez said.