GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
15 September 2022
A bizarre and empty Parliamentary reply from the Minister for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities in the Presidency yesterday, on the effectiveness of the national domestic violence hotline, is a worrying sign that the fight against Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) is not being taken seriously enough.
It is no secret that being a woman in South Africa is not only dangerous, but disempowering, with the threat of violence and abuse always lingering.
South Africa needs to put the required resources behind the initiatives it promotes to tackle GBVF if government is serious about fighting this scourge, as it says it is.
Yet there seems to be no real action behind the promises advertised by Government, with Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane unable to provide simple answers on the number of calls received and the exact services that should be provided by this hotline.
As GOOD we have been highlighting GBVF as a national crisis and we have committed to continue this fight long after women’s month in August. We currently have paid for social media and radio adverts running where GOOD Leader, Patricia De Lille, urges South Africans to break the silence – “Don’t Shut Up, Speak Up”.
One of the solutions that we have been promoting is to speak up and specifically to do this by using the national domestic violence hotline that is advertised by SAPS, NGO’s, NPO’s and communities as a way to seek help.
Yet it seems clear that this line requires a lot more resources and financial backing to live up to its potential and to address some of its flaws.
In some instances, it appears the line does not operate 24 hours a day while a shortage of counsellors seem to leave women waiting on the line for long periods.
It also seems that, despite the helpline number appearing on SAPS website, the technology does now allow for incidents to be transferred or reported immediately to the police.
Women who find themselves in life-threatening situations need quick and effective ways to report GBVF related crimes or ask for help. In a society so accustomed to violence we cannot expect our citizens to sit on a line like they are in a bank when in reality they are in a life-or-death situation.
Processes need to be streamlined and more effective, if a woman has one chance to make that call.
This service can be a viable and effective solution to curb the increasing rate of GBVF throughout the country.
It can only be effective however if it is improved and used as catalyst to launch other campaigns throughout the country.
This helpline is many people’s voice but if it continues in its current form these voices will be nothing more than whispers.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za