Help for women just a press of a button away

Imagine having the police, a social worker or a counsellor just a press of a button away.

This is the idea behind a Social Development Department initiative that would see vulnerable women, children and the elderly issued with panic buttons linked to the department's 24-hour Gender-Based Violence Command Centre.

When activated by pressing the button, the personal alarm, which includes a tracking device, will send a distress signal to the police for immediate response.

Deputy Social Development Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said the service, to be introduced next week, was a response to problems at the command centre, which offers a telephone service. She said the panic buttons would be given to women with disabilities, the elderly and other vulnerable people such as children and women walking alone.

Bogopane-Zulu was speaking in Pretoria yesterday at the unveiling of the National Emergency Response Team, a mobile service that comprises social workers and psychologists specialising in trauma counselling to counter violence against women and children.

Bogopane-Zulu said panic buttons would be issued according to an assessment of circumstances, such as "where an elderly woman lives alone, or a girl is walking alone" in an area in which she is at risk.

The National Emergency Response Team will provide face-to-face trauma counselling and ensure that the police get involved and follow up on cases.

The team can be contacted on the toll-free line 0800-428-428 or through a "Please Call Me" message on cellular networks sent to *120*7867#.

"This will be a dedicated outreach service that will deploy help, not just a telephone service.

"Psychologists and social workers will go to see victims and the cases will be followed up," she said.

The minister said the command centre, which had been operating since 2013, had 48 social workers and eight deaf social workers would be added next month.