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Assistance by phone and personal meetings The hotline provides emotional first aid and help at the time of the crisis. This service is provided by means of emergency hotlines that operate on a 24-hour basis. The volunteers operating the lines undergo a specialized training program providing them with the skills needed for crisis intervention. We offer emotional and practical support to rape and sexual assault victims and those close to them, and in many cases the assistance includes meetings and ongoing support. Our assistance is offered in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English and Amharic. In recognition of the unique needs of specific sectors, the RCCs operate specialized hotlines for Arab women, religious women, men and boys, and religious men and boys.
The assistance also includes one-off meetings or continuous counseling. Victims may choose to include a spouse, a member of their family, or others that may support her, in these meetings.
Support groups The RCC's operate several support groups for victims of rape, incest and sexual abuse. All the groups are guided by psychologists. These groups offer victims a framework for sharing their experiences with other victims of sexual violence, drawing strength from each other and undergoing a process of healing from the traumatic experience and moving on. Several RCC's hold specialized support groups, for example a group for women who are victims of sexual assault and suffer from eating disorders, a group for women with cognitive disabilities and a group for parents to children who were victims of sexual assault.
Escorting to medical examinations and treatment Women who approach the RCC's near the time of the incident are usually in great need of medical and psychological attention. If a victim is interested in receiving medical attention a volunteer will be available to accompany her and offer emotional support throughout the medical examinations and treatment. Our accompaniment is intended to strengthen the victim and to reinstate her confidence and her sense of control over her life.
The Victim Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) The VWAP focuses on the status of victims of sexual violence during the legal process. The program is based on a combination of individual support and systemic work. In addition to assisting and escorting women throughout the legal process, the VWAP staff continuously organizes lectures and seminars for police investigators, attorneys at the District Attorney’s offices, in hospitals and more. The VWAP support includes:
Filing a complaint at the police station - escorting the victim during the process of filing a complaint and during police investigations.
Meeting the victim and the attorney responsible for the case prior to court sessions. In these meetings the coordinator helps bridge the gap between the attorney and the victim.
Escorting the victim to court. Providing the victims with emotional support while they testify. This combined method of individual and systemic work is producing a substantial change – since the project’s initiation, the rate of women who filed a complaint with the police from among our entire callers rose from 11% in 1996 to 22% in 2004!
Education and public awareness As sexual violence is a social problem, the solution lies in education to uproot the behavioral patterns that are responsible for it and replace these patterns with behavioral alternatives of equality, mutual respect and healthy communication. Therefore, as well as offering assistance to victims, every RCC has an education department operated by the volunteers. The departments' aim is to work towards reducing the prevalence of sexual violence by means of educational activities for the wide public. Educational workshops are given in high schools, the IDF, universities, new immigrants, work places and the public at large.
Professional education The RCCs organize specialization programs for professionals dealing with different aspects of treating sexual assault victims. The programs are given to police detectives, lawyers, psychologists, social workers, teachers and educational advisors, commanders in the army, doctors and nurses.
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