MOSAIC Level 4 Lockdown Services
For immediate release
Media targets: Western Cape media
28 June 2021
Uninterrupted services available to GBV victims during level 4 restrictions
- Monitoring & insights from previous lockdowns to inform adjusted services for victims- says Anti-GBV NGO
Cape Town, 29 June 2021 — MOSAIC Training, Service & Healing Centre will continue providing its services to domestic and sexual violence survivors as usual during the newly announced Level 4 lockdown period.
While the advice is to stay home and stay safe from the third wave of Covid-19 surging through the country, a home is a dangerous place for victims of domestic violence and GBV. This is according to Nandipha Ganya, Programmes Manager of MOSAIC, pointing to experiences and insights observed from previous lockdowns that now inform the NGO's uninterrupted services approach.
MOSAIC has set up dedicated 24-hour WhatsApp helplines to monitor its clients' access to police and courts services during lockdown, ensuring that services are not denied under the pretext of level 4 restrictions. A community mobilisation team has also been set up to assist with online services and monitoring client and home situations. Additionally, the NGO has activated ties with community leaders to enable direct links to homes and women in need of help.
"Victims of domestic violence may be stuck at home with their abuser, with fewer opportunities to leave the house to get help while social-distancing requirements and shielding from COVID-19 limit access to friends and family. We will therefore be closely assessing the impact of this lockdown on women and monitoring how it will affect their ability to seek help," says Ganya.
According to the community-based organisation, the last South African Police crime statistics covering the three months between level 1 and adjusted level 3 lockdown confirmed the grim reality that homes are not sanctuaries from violent crime. "The statistics showed that 1643 people were murdered either in their homes or in the home of the perpetrator, while 4900 people were raped in their home or the home of the rapist. From that figure, 570 rapes were domestic violence-related, with most cases (547) involving female victims," says Ganya.
MOSAIC services that will run uninterrupted, with strict Covid protocols in place:
- All court support services will continue at Magistrates Courts in Cape Town, Cape Winelands, Pretoria and Kwa-Zulu Natal,
- Counselling sessions with MOSAIC social workers will continue on an appointment basis at Mitchells Plain, Philippi and Wynberg.
- MOSAIC first responders will be available 24-hours a day at Thuthuzela Care Centres in Khayelitsha, Atlanis and Worcester.
All group education gatherings have been paused to adhere to current restrictions.
To report instances where police and courts services are denied or did not meet expectations, please contact MOSAIC's 24-hour WhatsApp lines:
067 425 3822 - Wynberg and Mitchells Plain
067 425 3825 - Khayelitsha and Mfuleni/Blue Downs
082 323 2415 - Philippi and Nyanga
If you, or someone you know, is a victim of domestic violence or gender-based violence, please contact MOSAIC 021 761 7585, send a message on Facebook (@MosaicNGO) or DM on Instagram (@MosaicRSA) for assistance.
If you need more information on our services, please visit our website - www.mosaic.org.za.
ENDS
For more information, inquiries or requests for interviews, please contact:
Neo Khumalo
Communications consultant
T: +27 067 640 6032 (WhatsApp Calls and messaging)
About MOSAIC
MOSAIC is a community-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to prevent and reduce abuse and domestic violence. This is achieved by providing holistic, integrated services when incidences occur, and supporting clients through the process of healing and rebuilding their lives after a traumatic event.
MOSAIC creates an enabling environment through our holistic and integrated five-pillar service model
- Access to Justice – psychosocial and legal support provided by court support workers, and psychosocial support from MOSAIC's Sexual Violence Counsellors at Thuthuzela Care Centres
- Support and Healing – Counselling Services, Support Groups and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights;
- Engaging Men and Boys- Training and Workshops, Support Groups and Counselling for Men
- Empower- Education and Skills Training, Rights Training, Youth GBV Life Skills and Community Dialogues
- Advocacy and Policy- Advancing rights of women and girls by providing evidence from our services to change the system.
The organisation was established in 1993 in response to high levels of violence against women in South Africa, particularly in the form of domestic violence, and in recognition of the silence that many women suffer in unnecessarily, due to either a lack of knowledge of their rights, a lack of confidence to access justice for themselves, or both. MOSAIC's registered head office is in Cape Town, South Africa.
For further information about MOSAIC, please visit www.mosaic.org.za
