The impact of Gender-Based Violence doesn’t end with one generation, if nothing is done to stop it, it will carry on into the next generation and the next etc. Whole families and communities are affected. The abuse can lead to drug abuse or another long-term physical and mental problems. This could lead to unemployment and even homelessness.
What are the benefits a women’s shelter can provide?
This is where shelters come into play, helping abused women by protecting them and getting them back on their feet. Many women who are being abused feel they have nowhere to turn, their only way out is a shelter. But these have to be accessible and be able to provide for the needs of these women. Many shelters not only offer refuge for women, but also for their children. The shelter, therefore, needs to be able to provide food and other resources.
Providing this type of service to the community takes dedication on behalf of the staff as well as much needed funding. Some shelters get a percentage of funding from the government, but a lot of the funding also comes from donations. But in order to provide much more than just a temporary safe place, shelters need more funding.
Available services should include:
Counselling services
Food and clothing
Temporary housing
Skills Development and training
Court and legal assistance
In order to effectively tackle the issue of gender violence, it has to be approached from many different angles. Commitment has to be shown from the government, civil society and from the very citizens of the country. All must come together in order to expose the issue as well as to develop an effective plan, which will strengthen the response towards the issue. The ideal plan would then be to eradicate gender-based violence within our society.
You can support Safe House and be the change we desperately need.
Acknowledgement: This blog post is based on the two articles below.
https://www.nacosa.org.za/2017/10/25/national-strategic-plan-for-gbv-launched/
https://genderjustice.org.za/project/policy-development-advocacy/stop-gender-violence-national-campaign/