As the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children draws to a close on Wednesday the Department of Social Development said that the newly declared national-disaster status of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) will help broaden support for survivors through improved shelter services, safe spaces, counselling, and community prevention programmes.
However, frontline organisations say the crisis on the ground continues to deepen.
Speaking to VOC News, Nuraan Osman, Director of the Ihata Shelter for Abused Women and Children, questioned whether the annual campaign has had any measurable impact on GBV trends.
“I don’t know. Honestly, I feel like it gets worse each day. We work on the Cape Flats; each day, there are more beatings, more murders, more abuse. I don’t know if the 16 days make a difference. And how would we even be able to measure? Once a woman is violated, what then? Where should she go? How does she feed the children? It’s really a massive pandemic,” Osman said.
She also criticised the amount of money the government spends on posters and advertising during the campaign, while many shelters face severe funding shortfalls. Osman said:
“With so many shelters going unfunded, shelters should not only be funded for sheltering, food, and clothing. They should be funded for education. Many of the women end up vulnerable, and children too, for lack of education.”
Osman added that some children arriving at the shelter have been kept out of school for months due to domestic abuse.
“Looking at how much money is spent, we need to look at where it should be spent. If we upskill a woman so she becomes employable and financially independent, then you have someone who can care for her children and contribute to society, someone with self-worth and purpose.”
The Department of Social Development has encouraged collaboration across sectors to strengthen long-term support systems beyond the 16-day campaign.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Pexels
