Fewer seek counselling services during lockdown

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - It was predicted before the start of the initial level 5 lockdown that domestic violence would worsen during the lockdown.

Counselling services were allowed to continue during the lockdown.

The Mossel Bay Advertiser contacted organisations which provide counselling to find out if there has been an increase in people seeking counselling at this time.

The social worker, Irene Archer, at the Creating Effective Families (CEF) shelter for abused women and children in Mossel Bay, said there had been a reduction in calls for help during the lockdown.

Archer said CEF was still doing telephone counselling during the lockdown. She said there had only been one admission to the CEF shelters in the Garden Route and Karoo area during the lockdown.

'Dealing with offender'
She said it was an indication that police were handling the domestic violence cases effectively, because people were not coming to CEF. "Police are dealing with the offender and the mom and children can then remain safely in their homes. Usually it's the mom and children who have to move out."

Archer deals with victim empowerment and all domestic violence cases at CEF. She said she was on a WattsApp group which covered the Western Cape and throughout the province a reduction in domestic violence incidents had been reported on the group, except for in Mitchell's Plain in Cape Town.

'Much quieter'
Social worker Amanda Beukes, at the ACVV in Mossel Bay, said: "It has been much quieter during the lockdown, but I am expecting that everything will come out after the lockdown and when children go back to school."

Beukes noted that many cases of domestic violence were referred by the schools to the ACVV. "The schools are a large source of cases," Beukes said.

The director of FAMSA Outeniqua in George, Nicolette Buitendag, said: "We have not had a rise in referrals. We get referrals from the Thuthezela centre at the George Regional Hospital." This is the George state hospital.

There are a number of Thuthuzela centres nationwide. It is a project initiated by the National Prosecuting Authority. The centres help victims of rape and violence.

Buitendag said: "We deal with Thuthuzela's adult cases after hours. Child Welfare deals with the children. The numbers of cases has decreased. People cannot move around freely during the lockdown, so they have been out of danger. Also, alcohol is not freely available and it plays a large role in violence. We have continued with our existing cases of family violence which were in evidence before the lockdown. There have not been more incidents in George."

'Fewer reported cases'
"I believe that worldwide and in South Africa, domestic violence has increased, but there have been fewer reported cases here. One does not know if the incidents are simply not being reported.

"There has been an increase in calls during level 4 lockdown compared with level 5. We are busier now. I think that with level 4 people have thought everything is back to normal and they have started moving around again. They have felt the lockdown was too long and they are getting frustrated."

Buitendag said that with the extension of the lockdown, it was a case of: "I can cope for three weeks, but now I need help."

The George Thuthuzela site co-ordinator, Angelique Vezasie, said: "There has been no increase in cases. We work with sexual offence cases.

"In terms of cases we have had more children than adults. We have not had more intimate partner violence. We were really concerned that domestic violence would escalate.

Vezasie said she believed the reduction in cases was "partly because no alcohol is being sold".

'Most cases involve alcohol'
She said: "Most taverns and places people could go to, to drink, are closed. Unfortunatly most cases involve alcohol."

Vezasie wished to remind parents that if their children were left to wander around in the streets they could be criminally charged. "Children should not go to visit others. They need to adhere to Covid-19 lockdown regulations. Parents must take care of their children and keep them inside," she warned.

Irene Archer