CHILD Welfare Durban and District, a registered non-profit organisation whose core objective is child protection, is supporting the 16 Days of activism against violence directed at women and children.
The organisation has said research indicated that the home is where the most violence occurs and this takes the form of physical violence, financial abuse, sexual violence and molestation, and emotional violence and degradation.
On 31 July, the Minister of Police released crime stats which paint a very grim picture of the state of violence against women and children.
During the period 2019/2020 the report showed 22 864 cases of common assault by boyfriend/ girlfriend, ex-partner or spouse, there were 14 020 cases of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm recorded, and there were 817 cases of murder documented.
The effect of lockdown on gender-based violence has been alarming – during the first three weeks of lockdown, the government’s Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Femicide Command Centre alone recorded more than 120 000 victims.
Vodacom support call centres saw a 65 per cent increase in calls from women and children confined in their homes seeking urgent help after lockdown began.
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Durban Child Welfare said lockdown caused an increase in GBV because it made it easier for perpetrators to torment their victims with little or no room for support. Being a child protection agency, Child Welfare ensures the safety of abused and neglected children.
Services are provided to abused and neglected children, abandoned babies and orphans, and family preservation services are rendered through counselling and support whereby removals are prevented and family units are stabilised.
Welfare believes that the first line of prevention is education. The organisation offers public awareness programmes at schools, informal settlements, target communities, hospitals, clinics and on request from other stakeholders, and social media platforms are used for public awareness and marketing of its services.
Child Welfare Durban and District services are free, and it encourages schools, corporates and community-based organisations to make use of its services. Contact 031 312 9313 or email: info@cwdd.org.za.
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