Series 1: Evidence of Domestic Violence during Lockdown
This publication, and its associated virtual discussion, presents the available evidence for violence during the lockdown using data from three points of service, the national Gender-Based Violence Command Centre, the South African Police Services and health facilities.
Series 2: Adapting to Disaster: Domestic Violence Shelters and South Africa’s COVID-19 Lockdown
The second brief in this series lays the ground for the in-depth research report reflecting on the qualitative and experiential dimensions of the lockdown, both for the women who sought refuge, as well as those providing shelter services. Written from the perspective of shelters, brief 2 provides two accounts of working under these dramatically altered circumstances. The first tells how shelters adapted to the state of disaster through the harnessing and alignment of multiple processes and actors. The second is a considerably less sunny account. Focusing on the Department of Social Development, the brief surfaces habits and histories so entrenched that they were impervious to change – even in the face of disaster.