This centre was established in memory of Sarah Baartman who was transported in 1810 from South Africa to Europe.
The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBCWC) was opened in 1999 in response to the high rates of violence against women and children on the Cape Flats near Cape Town. We provide essential, cost-free services 365 days a year to abused women and children employing a comprehensive range of services for the effective treatment and prevention of violence against women and children.
"The SBCWC has a vision to create a safe and secure society and a human rights culture where women and children are empowered to exercise their full rights." Bernadine Bachar- Director - Saartjie Baartman Centre (2025)
They have been fortunate to have been selected as the organisation to pilot the Khuseleka model, a multi-sectoral approach in collaboration with key government departments and institutions designed to uphold all basic victim rights as encapsulated in the South African Victims Charter and the UN Conventions protecting the rights of women and children.
The "Saartjie" Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBCWC ) is a one-stop Centre for Women and Children who are Survivors of Abuse. Their vision is the creation of a Safe and Secure Society where a Human Rights Culture for Women and Children, are empowered enough to exercise their full Human Rights. They provide the following services to women and their children who experience domestic and/or sexual violence:
1. A 24-hour emergency shelter (safe accommodation)
2. Short and medium term residential care
3. Childcare services
4. Counselling, mental health support, legal and economic empowerment services
5. Children's counselling
6. Research in gender-based violence
7. Job Skills training
8. Legal advice
The Residential Program provides a 24-hour crisis response for women and their children who are being abused in their homes. There are trained staff members on duty at all times and the facility is open all year including public holidays. The Residential Program houses on average 22 women and 35 children who stay in the Residential Program, for four months. The benefits of the Residential Program are that Residents have easy and safe access to a range of Services provided by the Centre and their partners. These include a free Legal Advice Service, free Medical Services and Economic Empowerment Programmes. During their stay in the Residential Program, the women participate in individual and group Counselling, Psycho-Educational Workshops, Support Groups and Job Skills Training. Counselling is also available for Children. Pre-school children spend their weekdays in the crèche, while school-going children are referred to neighbouring schools.
In 2004, the Centre opened the first four second-stage housing units for Residents who need to stay longer, in a more secure environment and who are able to pay a small Monthly rent. The Women and their Children are able to live in these houses for a further six to nine Months.
Thanks to generous funding from Chris Pinkham and the Rolf-Stephan Nussbaum Foundation, another six houses were built in 2006. They were officially opened on 15 December 2006 by Rosieda Shabodien, (who is a well known gender and development activist.)