This Dundee campus gives GBV survivors a new place to seek help
DUNDEE — Students at Majuba TVET College’s Dundee Campus now have a dedicated space to seek support for gender-based violence, mental health difficulties and other personal challenges. The Comfort Room, launched on 28 October, is intended to connect students with assistance without leaving them to navigate several institutions alone.
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube unveiled the facility, implemented with Higher Health, the college and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. SAnews described it as the first Comfort Room in KwaZulu-Natal’s post-school education and training sector.
A starting point for support
The facility will link students to professional counselling, healthcare, police assistance and psychosocial services. It will also accommodate survivor support groups, mental health discussions and peer forums for students living with HIV. Programmes involving young men will focus on challenging harmful attitudes and behaviour.
Dube-Ncube highlighted the difficulties survivors face when repeatedly recounting traumatic experiences to different institutions. The aim is to provide a supportive first point of contact and help students reach the services appropriate to their needs.
The model builds on Higher Health’s first Comfort Room, launched at Ekurhuleni East TVET College’s Springs Campus in August. At that launch, government emphasised that the spaces would complement existing health, policing and social support services rather than replace them.
Staffing and follow-up will determine its value
According to figures cited by Dube-Ncube, more than 394,000 students completed Higher Health GBV self-risk assessments over four years, with more than 20,000 subsequently seeking help. The figures reflect participation in support programmes, rather than the prevalence of GBV across all students.
Dube-Ncube urged college management and student leaders to ensure students know about the Dundee facility and feel able to use it. She also called for adequate staffing, links with local healthcare providers, police and social workers, and follow-up on referrals so that seeking help leads to continuing support.
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