Attention editors: Please see English audio by MPP Dan Plato attached.
While the fight to eradicate Gender Based Violence remains a continuous effort, the Provincial Department of Social Development has remained committed to serving the most vulnerable communities in the Western Cape, especially as it relates to Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
Today saw the tabling of the Western Cape Department of Social Development 2022/2023 Annual Report, that is indicative of a Department focused on providing services which enables safe and cohesive family structures and communities.
According to the report, a total number of 24 388 victims of GBV were accessing psychosocial support services in 2022/2023, a significantly higher figure than the planned target of 18 525. The appointment of 26 social workers specialising in GBV at DSD Regional Offices also increased the availability of support to these victims.
Funded GBV shelters in the province not only assisted victims with psychosocial care, but furthermore provided them with skills development programmes to 421 women on home-based care and computer literacy in support of them becoming economically independent upon exiting the shelters.
Under the reviewing period, a new Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) at the Victoria Hospital in Wynberg, increasing the total number of TCCs in the province to eight. The Department has seen an increased demand from victims particularly in women and children requiring psychosocial support services and court support services, with 2 369 women and their children who were victims of crime and violence accessing these support services.
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Social Development Dan Plato says: “The decrease of violence and trauma against women, children and LGBTQIA+ persons remain a challenge for our whole society to grapple with, and one which the Western Cape Government takes extremely seriously. Where the DA governs, we will remain determined to play our part to root out social ills”.