Making a Safety Plan

If you are in danger right now: call SAPS on 10111, or 112 from a mobile. For support and help to find a shelter, call the GBV Command Centre on 0800 428 428, any time.

You may not be ready to leave, or you may be planning it quietly. Either way, you deserve to be safer today. A safety plan is not a promise to do anything. It is simply knowing your next step when things get bad.

What is happening

A safety plan is a short, private plan for three moments: when things start to build up, when there is danger, and when you leave or after you have left. You make it with what you know about the person and your home. You are the expert on your situation.

In South Africa, the Domestic Violence Act lets you apply for a protection order at any magistrate's court. It is free, you do not need a lawyer, and the court can give an interim order the same day. Abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional, verbal and economic abuse, threats, stalking and damage to property. If the person breaks the order, the police can arrest them.

Leaving can be the most dangerous time, so plan it carefully and quietly if you can. The GBV Command Centre, a social worker or a shelter can help you think it through.

Signs to notice

• The person has hurt you, or threatened to hurt you, the children or themselves.
• Things are getting worse or happening more often.
• You watch their mood to know when it is safe to speak.
• They control your phone, money or where you go.
• You have thought about leaving but are scared of what they will do.
• There is a weapon in the home.

30-second self-check

Answer yes or no. If you answer yes to the first question, stop here and get help now: call SAPS on 10111, or 112 from a mobile.

• Are you in danger right now?
• Has the violence or threats got worse recently?
• Has the person ever choked or strangled you, or threatened to kill you?
• Is there a weapon in the home?
• Are you planning to leave, or have you just left?
• Are children in the home?

0-1 yes: If your yes was the first question, call 10111 now. Otherwise start small: one safe person, one code word, one place to go.
2-3 yes: Your safety needs attention now. Call the GBV Command Centre on 0800 428 428 this week to plan with someone trained.
4 or more yes: Please get help now. Call the GBV Command Centre on 0800 428 428, and 10111 if you are in danger. Choking, threats to kill and weapons are serious warning signs.

What you can do next

• Today: Choose one person you trust and agree on a code word or message that means "call the police" or "come now". Save 10111 and 0800 428 428 under names only you will recognise.
• This week: Pack a grab bag with ID, cash, a charger, medicine, keys and children's documents, and keep it at a trusted person's home if you can. Know the safest rooms in your home: near a door, away from the kitchen and anywhere with weapons.
• This month: Plan where you would go: family, a friend or a shelter. Ask the magistrate's court about a protection order. Tell your children's school who may and may not fetch them.
• During an attack: get out if you can, go towards neighbours or people, and shout. Protect your head.
• Staying safe on your phone: read this in a private or incognito tab, clear your browser history afterwards, or use a trusted friend's phone. Check for location sharing and tracking apps you did not set up.
• Teach older children how to call 10111 and where to go if there is danger.

Your tool

Grab Bag Checklist - a short, private checklist of what to pack and where to keep it, so you can leave quickly if you need to.

When to get professional help

Speak to someone trained as soon as you can, especially if the violence is getting worse, involves choking or weapons, or the person has threatened to kill you or the children. You do not have to be ready to leave to ask for help.
Who can help: emergency services, shelter NGO, social worker, counsellor, Legal Aid SA, family attorney

Getting help in South Africa

• GBV Command Centre (0800 428 428, 24/7): counselling, safety planning and referrals to shelters.
• SAPS (10111) or 112 from a mobile: in danger, or to report a breach of a protection order.
• Magistrate's court: protection orders under the Domestic Violence Act. The clerk of the court helps with the forms.
• Legal Aid SA (legal-aid.co.za): help with protection orders, maintenance and custody.
• Childline (116): if children are being hurt or scared.
• Cleared Mind 24-hour Careline (0800 212 146): confidential support any time.