The Ihata Care Group has stepped up its fight against gender-based violence with the launch of its own GBV response unit to assist victims in need.
The organisation that cares for more than 300 beneficiaries daily, and relies on private donors and government funding, hope to make a difference in communities.
A brand-new Toyota bakkie will be fully operational from Thursday, and there’s also a 24-hour hotline for victims.
Faizel Porter, CEO of the Ihata Care Group, said: “It’s not that we want to do the work of the police force but we know that they are overburdened, so the Ihata Care Group wants to make the vehicle available for GBV victims, to bring them to safety.”
According to Porter, Ihata will try to cover as many areas as possible.
“It will be all over Cape Town or whenever we can cover,” he told the Daily Voice.
“With people calling the shelter, asking for help and assistance, sometimes there are situations where the person is hiding in their room or doesn’t have taxi fare to come to the shelter or police station [and that’s where we will step in].”
Quarterly crime statistics released last Wednesday show that between April and June, 77 women were murdered in the Western Cape while 166 attempted murder cases were reported, along with 2029 assault GBH cases.
Porter explained that the GBV response unit is there to defuse the situation and get the victims to safety.
“It is non-combative, we don’t want to fight the perpetrator, the only purpose is sending out the person with good negotiation skills to get the victim to safety,” he added.
Anyone who is a victim of GBV and needs help, can call the 24-hour GBV Response Unit at 081 285 4506.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za