GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE COMMAND CENTRE IS NOW LIVE

• The public can now, once again, contact the Department of Social Development’s gender-based violence command centre on 0800 428 428
• The much-anticipated command centre went live on 18 December 2024 after a protracted battle over non-delivery with the appointed service provider.
• The department is applying for exemption from the Protection of Personal Information Act in order to track the location of victims of violence.

Pretoria: The Department of Social Development’s gender-based violence command centre (GBVCC) is now operational.

The call centre had been down, following a protracted battle with the appointed service provider over non-delivery.

The department had to terminate the contract and appoint a new service provider, with the service going live at 10am on 18 December 2024.

Due to the urgent need to resuscitate the services of the GBVCC, the department had to prioritise making voice services available. This means callers reporting incidents of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) will be able to do so by calling the command centre.

Other methods of making contact with the command centre such as SMS, Please Call Me (USSD) web-link and WhatsApp services will be rolled-out gradually, in the first quarter of the new year.

The 24-hour GBVCC was originally launched by the department in November 2013 to provide immediate care, support and counselling to victims of violence by qualified social workers and link victims to other services of government.

For the department to provide the unique service of the GBVCC to geolocate victims of violence, the department will approach the Information Regulator for an exemption to the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), in terms of S37(1)(a), to allow the GBVCC to track the location of victims or potential victims of GBVF. 

The GBVCC can be contacted on 0800 428 428.

Issued by the national Department of Social Development

Media enquiries may be forwarded to Bathembu Futshane on 071 162 1154 or bathembuf@dsd.gov.za.