Places of Hope: Safe Havens for Women and Children Escaping GBV

Dec 17, 2024

16 Days of Activism is a reminder of a grim reality that some face. In a month that affords celebration, reflection, and a hopeful planning for 2025, others do not have the privilege of hope because of the reality of living day to day not knowing if anything other than a life of trying to survive the day exists. Women and children are the ones most affected by the reality of abuse and abandonment. According to Stats SA, “almost 50% of the assaults were committed by someone close such as a friend or acquaintance (22%), a spouse or intimate partner (15%), a relative or other household member (13%). About 29% of the assaults were committed by unknown persons.” These numbers show that women and children are more unsafe in their own homes than outside of them. Non-profit organisations exist to give women and children affected by abuse refuge from the ills they face.

Here are 3 safe havens that offer refuge for those trying to mend their lives after surviving abuse.

1. National Shelter Movement of South Africa (NSMSA)

The NSMSA is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, located in Johannesburg, that was established in 2008 that serves as an umbrella body for shelters across South Africa (SA). The numbers of the female homicide rate in SA in comparison to the rest of the world are alarmingly high. The NSMSA was born out of this research, and the realisation that many individuals have experienced abuse than was previously understood. Its vision is to shelter women and children affected by Gender-Based Violence (GBV). They achieve this objective through providing direct services to those affected, engage in lobbying and advocacy at provincial and national level, capacity building on GBV among other things. They currently have 98 shelters spread across all 9 provinces.

The NSMSA has collaborated with the highly esteemed Heinrich Böell Foundation (HBF), a German political found and Lisa Vetten, a research and project consultant at the University of Johannesburg to undertake various projects. These projects have shed light on the challenges that surround places of refuge for GBV victims. The NSMSA positions itself to be at the forefront of trying to establish lasting change by organising protests, writing open letters to policymakers and being in attendance at world conferences on sheltering.

The national 24 hour toll free shelter helpline is: 0800 001 005 or you could send an SMS, WhatsApp, or Please Call Me to 082 057 8600/ 082 058 2215 / 072 230 7147 or you could send them an email: infohelpline@nationalsm.org.za. To find out more about NSMSA, visit their website: https://www.nsmsa.org.za/

2. Saartjie Baartman Centre

The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBCWC) is an all-purpose centre for those who have survived and escaped abuse. According to their website, “[t]he SBCWC was opened in 1999 in response to the high rates of violence against women and children on the Cape Flats near Cape Town.” The SBCWC’s vision is creating a human rights culture where women and children are able to utilise their full rights.The SBCWC does not only exist to give women and children a safe place to stay, but also functions to give them a way to develop themselves so they could be functional in society.

The SBCWC does not only work to give shelter to those affected by GBV, but also works to create awareness through different mediums and gives advice to over 1 million people, many of whom are victims themselves. One of the organisation's goals is to provide a comprehensive range of services for abused women and children.

The services they offer include:

24-hour emergency shelter (safe accommodation)
Short and medium term residential care
Childcare services
Counselling, mental health support, legal and economic empowerment services
Children’s counselling
Research in gender-based violence
Job skills training
Legal advice

The SBCWC has assisted a total of 12 257 children and 2 106 women. They have a residential programme designed to support women and children. The residential programme women and children in 4 separate units. The first unit called, the orientation unit, helps women and children adjust to the new environment they find themselves in and assesses how best they could help them. The second unit, the substance unit, exists to help women struggling with substance abuse. The third unit called the therapeutic unit, is a unit that provides counselling which includes focus on mental health and emotional wellbeing. The last unit called the independent unit exists for those who have successfully gone through the programme and can now be given a sense of autonomy. This will grow their confidence to see that life can be lived alone and they can do it well.

To find out more about the residential programme contact the SBCWC at: 021 633 1253 or alternatively, use their 24/7 Whatsapp helpline: 076 470 9314 or you can visist their website: https://saartjiebaartmancentre.org.za/programmes/residential-programme/

3. People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA)

POWA provides shelter for women and children affected by GBV. They have two emergency shelters situated in Johannesburg's West Rand and East Rand. Women receive counselling, legal advice and skills development programmes. They enable women to earn an income, encouraging them not to return to their abusers.

By providing women and children with safe refuge they enable them to begin dealing with the trauma they experienced and all this is done with the support from POWA . Shelters provide referrals for jobs and transport to various places including courts, clinics, police stations, South African Social Security Agency offices (SASSA) and other places to drop their CVs off. Housemothers aid in supporting the wellbeing of children by placing them in schools or creches close to the shelter. Children also receive child counselling services.

Many women who come to the shelter are cohabitating with more than one child and are either semi-skilled or unskilled, meaning they find themselves dependent on their partners. To counter this, POWA has skills development programmes aimed at helping women develop the skills necessary to find jobs.

The West Rand shelter accommodates 10 women and children, while the East Rand shelter accommodates 20 women and children. Part of the sheltering services is a 2nd Stage Housing that provides affordable accommodation for survivors of GBV. Staying in these flats affords the survivors a chance to experience a sense of independence and confidence in their ability to live without their abusers. The flats are fully furnished, survivors need only to bring their belongings and move in. Survivors pay a minimum fee for maintenance of the flat.

To get in touch with POWA: You can mail them: info@powa.co.za Or Call them: 011 591 6803 Or Visit their website: https://www.powa.co.za/