Help is out there for victims in abusive relationships

Busisiwe Phalatsi has dedicated the past 20 years of her life to helping victims of gender-based violence (GBV) with counselling, opening of cases and court preparation.

Phalatsi, 50, is the director of Lungelo Women’s Organisation, a non-governmental organisation in Dube, Soweto. Lungelo was established in 1998 before Phalatsi became a director in 2002.

Lungelo consists of 11 employees including five professional and qualified social workers who provide psycho-social support to victims of GBV.

The organisation provides survivors of GBV with counselling, support groups, referrals and home visits. The organisation also embarks on outreach programmes where it educates residents of Soweto about GBV and legal issues related to it.

Its outreach programme is done through distribution of flyers and pamphlets during door-to-door campaigns, street blitzes, visiting local clinics, and going to gatherings such as stokvel meetings where it educates the members on GBV.

Phalatsi said the objective of the organisation is to create a society free from all forms of GBV.

''We are living in a violent society. Most of the violence happens in people’s homes. We need to give them a voice so that they can be protected. They [victims] need to know where to go when they encounter violence,’’ said Phalatsi.

She said the organisation also runs school programmes where it educates pupils about their rights.

''We also work with children at schools. We want to give them a safe space to talk about their challenges. They should also know that they have rights,’’ said Phalatsi.

Phalatsi recalled an incident that happened in 2020 when her organisation had to intervene when a man in his 30s was having a consensual sexual relationship with a 14-year-old pupil.

According to SA law, it is statutory rape when an adult has consensual sex with a child under the age of 16.

''The taxi driver [man] was buying the child gifts, clothes and expensive stuff while sleeping with her. We reported the matter to the police and the taxi owner. The driver was found and arrested. It was not nice to see a young child being violated like that. The child was not forced to be in the relationship but a child is a child and does not know the negative impact of what they are doing,’’ said Phalatsi.

Phalatsi said the centre receives about 10 people a day looking for help.

She outlined the steps that the organisation takes when someone comes to them for assistance.

''Firstly, the victim will be taken to our auxiliary social worker who will take down all their personal details, including the story of the incident they experienced. The victim will then be seen by a qualified social worker who will give them counselling,’’ said Phalatsi.

''People come to our offices because they want help. It is important for us to create a rapport with the victim. We ensure we establish a relationship and trust with the victim. We take it upon ourselves to keep their information confidential because they trust us and shared their information with us. We do not want to jeopardise their safety in any way,’’ said Phalatsi.

She said she is satisfied with the work Lungelo is doing.

''I believe we are making progress because we accompany our clients to police stations once they have made a decision on their own to open a case. We also go with them to their court cases under the banner of our organisation,’’ she said.

She said victims of GBV should always speak out when they need assistance.

''You need to acknowledge that you are in an abusive relationship. Tell someone you trust about the abuse and seek help from a professional. A professional will listen to you without judging you. This process will help you deal with emotional scars you are carrying,’’ she said.

kokam@sowetan.co.za