GBV victims flood Eldorado Park shelter
The Eldorado Park Women's Forum says its shelter has been operating at full capacity since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown due to a surge in cases of gender-based violence.
The country has experience a rise in cases of gender-based violence and femicide since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country earlier this year.
Women’s safety shelters, such as the Eldorado Park Women's Forum, have been buckling under the pressure as scores of women sought shelter from their abusive partners.
Concerned members of Eldorado Park established the shelter in 2002 to address the surge of domestic violence cases that took place in the area, south of Johannesburg.
The shelter is registered to house 12 victims of abuse but has a capacity of 24 beds, explains the forum's executive director, Evans Gassi.
"With the advent of Covid-19 we have seen quite a rise in the number of residents that we house, we have been full for the better part of the four and five months of the Covid-19 pandemic period.
"And we have been getting quite a lot of residents from other areas, which normally we didn't have. The demographics have changed quite a bit, we have seen all races coming into the shelter this time around.
"And also, as a result of the GBV command call centre has referred quite a lot of women to us, this being throughout this period of Covid-19," says Gassi.
The shelter is strict in terms of the women they house, which include victims of intimate partner violence, general domestic violence, rape and human trafficking survivor.
"We also cater to victims of human trafficking, which we get referrals directly from the Department of Social Development…alongside the Hawks.
"So in cases where we do to do raids, wherever it may be within the city centres wherever suspect the trafficking syndicates are operating and when those ladies are rescued, we were one of those shelters that the Department of Social Development send women to," he said.
-- Reform Programmes --
Women who have been accepted at the shelter need to undergo a three to six month programme, says Gassi.
"And currently, our skills program is lacking somewhat, but then we're kicking off with the sewing project, we want to enhance them, give them a skill in terms of learning how to sew but because of Covid-19 a lot of things have come to a halt.
"With the skills, we also want to refer the women to development centres which are also funded by the department. But after Covid-19 everything has come to a halt in a sense.”
The shelter also has an Early Childhood Development Centre on the premises to help the children of survivors.
"So, we continue early childhood development of children free of charge because that ECD centres also funded by the department of social development.
"So, when a lady comes here with children that are school-going age or preschool age, and we are continuing their education by placing them at that ECD centre.
"And so, we must also shuttle them to and for along with the scholars as well, who have to be shuttled to the community to and for as well.
"We have a standing relationship with some of the primary schools within Eldorado Park, so it should a lady come to us with a child of school-going age we then actually place them at that school temporarily.”
-- Funding --
One of the biggest funders of the shelter is the Gauteng Department of Social Development, with the funds used for salaries, drivers, the security of the shelter, and each victim housed at the shelter.
Gassi said the organisation is struggling with funding for the upkeep of the shelter as it is not included in the department’s package.
"The maintenance of the shelter is quite critical because it speaks to the wellbeing of the environmental morale in the shelter.
"But we need funding obviously, for transportation, we need a bigger vehicle because the ladies men need to be shuttled to court in terms of getting there to court to clinics, to hospitals for all applications that they need to do because others divorce applications, others except protection orders or the maintenance orders.
"So, it's a whole host of services that you need to provide to these ladies and transport is one of the key elements especially affecting a slowing or hampering delivering quality service to our clients.
"So, we desperately need a vehicle that's probably a 14 or a combi or something of that magnitude that could assist us to get even the women that come to us.”
Listen to Gassi below:
