Nisaa Institute of Women’s development

 Nisaa Institute for Women’s Development is a Non-Profit, Non Governmental Organization locates in Lenasia Johannesburg, Nisaa NGO focuses on the prevention of Gender Based Violence(GBV) and the empowerment of the Women who have been abused by their partners.

Concerns about the Covid 19 crisis and social distancing interventions’ effect on women in abusive relationships have been raised. Women in these relationships face increased risk under lockdown circumstances, according to numerous articles in South African Media. They are afraid of being stuck inside their perpetrators, unable to leave, flee or seek help.

There has been some misleading information during the lockdown, and erroneous assertion made by Bheki Cele and others that the nations gender based violence hotline received over 87 000 calls was widely published. This was the total number of calls earned in 2019. Although the number of calls to the hotline has risen, there is no official, publicly accessible breakdown of the calls, so it’s difficult to tell how many they have received.

Women have deterred from finding support because of fake news and rumors of a huge increase in cases. Another misinformation on gender based violence is that the prohibition of the selling of alcoholic beverages has decreased the incidence of domestic abuse cases and likelihood of rape (outside of the home). Sober partners can still be controlling and violent, but they are likely to resort to serious physical abuse. 

It is also possible that the spike in the police violence, a 12 percent in the incidents reported to the independent police inquiry has something to do with it.

Another possibility one that we may ignore is that lockdown and the coronavirus epidemic have changed violent habits for the better, and that there has even been a decrease. 

Regardless of how unlikely this possibility is, researchers and advocates would be remiss if they did not explore all viable alternatives. 

NGOs, campaigners, scholars, and lawmakers should consider how this experience can be improved.

Nisaa NGO comes in to help women and children who are facing these problems of gender based violence by providing them with counseling for free, shelter services and advocacy. They create a safe space for them to be comfortable to open up about their gender based violence incidents and provide them with help and resources to overcome the trauma.

Women and men who are in abusive relationships should speak up about it and seek for help. Society should stop with these misleading information that is false and provide support to the victims of gender based violence and also create a safe space for the victims so they are able to share without being made to feel like it is their fault that the incidents of gender based violence are happening to them, because nobody deserves to be abused.