Our Crisis Centre
Our crisis centre, which to this day is unique in the Western Cape, was conceived by the police, Rape Crisis, the community and the Helderberg Hospital (previously Hottentots Holland Hospital) and was born on the 14th of August 1997.
Any person raped or sexually abused in our community who wants to lay a charge with the police must undergo a forensic examination. Unfortunately the only place that will do this is the Helderberg Hospital. Rape Crisis Helderberg has eliminated the need for victims to wait in the casualty of the hospital through our crisis centre on the hospital grounds.
Our crisis centre and offices are ideally situated next to the Helderberg Hospital which is the government hospital serving these towns. The hospital has made rooms available at no cost, supplies medication and covers all our telephone and electricity costs. An excellent working relationship between Rape Crisis Helderberg, the Superintendent of the hospital and the hospital staff continue to be the recipe for success.
Our crisis centre is used for rape intervention, counselling, group meetings and for general information for the public. Our administration offices are also at the crisis centre.
24-Hour Rape Crisis Intervention
We provide a 24-hour Rape Crisis Intervention service and work closely with the hospital and the police. When a client reports a rape case at a police station in our area, a volunteer counsellor on 24h call-out duty is contacted. The police, client and counsellor meet at the Helderberg Hospital. The counsellor then takes the client to our crisis centre, which consists of a cosy sitting room, kitchenette, bathroom, examination room and office.
Here, in a tranquil environment the counsellors are able to assist the rape survivor in a dignified manner, ensuring complete confidentiality. Immediate emotional support is the first step on the road to recovery. The client is then prepared and informed about procedures to follow. The counsellor informs the survivor about the medical examination, which involves collecting forensic evidence, blood tests and pregnancy testing.
After refreshments and when the client is ready for the examination, a district surgeon on duty at the Helderberg Hospital is called. In the privacy of our centre, the doctor proceeds to collect crucial forensic evidence and does a medical examination. The crime-kit and paperwork for court (required by law) is completed and extra blood samples for HIV and STD’s are taken for testing. If available, the underwear and/or clothing are given to the police for DNA identification and evidence. Medication is provided for STD's and prevention of pregnancy. AZT (anti-retroviral drug) for the prevention of HIV/Aids is available.
The survivor is then able to take a long, warm bath, brush their teeth and is given new underwear and clean clothing. Further support and counselling is then provided and follow-up appointments are made. The police are called to fetch the client. The crime-kit, other evidence, a report from the volunteer counsellor and the J88 (District surgeon report) are handed over to the investigating officer and the police take the client home.
Counselling Services to Survivors and their Families
Survivors of rape who decided not to lay a charge are also seen at the Centre and clients helped at the intervention stage are urged to return for follow-up counselling. HIV results are discussed and post HIV counselling (if HIV +) is given. Transactional Analysis (a successful model for working through trauma) and PNI (Psycho-Neuro-Immunology) are very effective tools used for counselling. It is important to treat each rape survivor as an individual and try and understand what rape means to that particular person. A person’s religion, culture, class, race and gender may affect how they feel about being raped. The effects of rape are long term and rape survivors never forget being raped, but can learn how to deal with the memory.
Clients are assisted in obtaining interdicts, as the alleged rapists are usually by this time out on bail and clients feel unsafe or are threatened. We educate and prepare them for court procedures and even accompany them to court if they wish. Many of our clients are unemployed and we assist them in applying for training at one of our networking partners and/or try to find alternative employment for them.
Some ladies are already pregnant because of rape and we discuss various options with them. We follow a Positive Living program with HIV + clients, which involve affordable and practical ways to maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit.
We refer some of our clients to partner organisations for problems such as drug addiction, alcohol abuse and psychiatric help. We provide counselling for the family of the survivor because of the ripple effect of the trauma. In the event of STD’s, we support them with the necessary medication and provide follow-up blood tests for HIV.
Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Counselling and Support Group
Our work with survivors of childhood sexual abuse starts when such an experience is revealed either at the intervention stage or through referrals from doctors, psychologists, clinics etc. Some people come forward for help through our awareness programmes.
Whether the sexual assault occurred once or many times is irrelevant, since the damage was incurred immediately. As with individual counselling, transactional analysis and PNI has been proved to be a successful tool in helping survivors on the road to healing.
These clients have to work through numerous social maladjustments arising from childhood sexual abuse. Alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, promiscuity, sleeping disorders, eating disorders, migraines, back or stomach pains are just a few of the physical consequences that victims suffer. Emotional problems emerging may include inability to trust, perfectionism, phobias, avoidance of both intimacy and emotional bonding.
Counselling these victims is a long and difficult process. It takes tremendous strength for a victim to put him/herself in a position to feel the pain.
The number of childhood abuse survivors constantly grows as more and more survivors find enough courage to break the silence. Together with individual counselling, these clients greatly benefit from group support.
Our SIA (Survivors of Incest Anonymous) support group was started in March 2002. Any person 18 years or older who was a victim of childhood sexual abuse may attend. This self-help group meets on a weekly basis and is a 12-step program successfully used in America. All literature used was written by incest survivors for incest survivors. Clients are able to share their secrets and experiences in a safe environment and the group offer comfort to each other. Feelings of being isolated and ashamed are addressed and here clients find great comfort in realizing that they are not alone.
HIV Counselling and Positive Living
Approximately three out of ten of our clients test HIV +. This is not necessarily due to the rape, but standard testing reveals their HIV status. With post-counselling all clients experience this result as HIV positive = Aids = death, but through a positive living approach we give them hope. Stress, malnutrition, poverty and loneliness are some of the factors that significantly hasten the progression to Aids of many people infected with the HIV virus. Healthy living has become the key, as Aids drug therapies are currently unaffordable to most. The positive living programme affects body, mind and soul.
We provide an immune booster, "African Solution" to our HIV + clients. This contains all the necessary nutrients and is available at R30,00 for a one month supply. Rape Crisis carries the cost for the clients who cannot afford this.
Township Support Groups and Counselling
On the 1st of November 2007 we opened up additional counselling offices at the police stations in Nomzamo and Sir Lowry's Pass due to the great need and transport difficulties for victims in these areas, especially those in wheelchairs and the elderly. These offices are run by our Xhosa counsellor, Ruth Madito.
Our township project is aimed at helping the poorest people in our communities where no other counseling service is available. The project works hand-in-hand with our crisis centre to provide a comprehensive follow-up service for survivors and their families as well as an easily accessible community counseling service. Most of the survivors we help at this project would not be able to access this help due to lack of transportation.
The people benefiting from these offices include single parents, males and females, grandmas, people who are wheelchair bound, disabled, as well as child headed households.
These offices are right in the townships, within easy walking distance for those living in the townships and also in a safe location as they are on the police property. The police stations are very supportive of the township project and really appreciate having a counsellor on the premises to refer certain cases to us. Having counselling offices at the police stations in Sir Lowry’s Pass and Nomzamo has helped us not only keep track of the survivors we have helped at the intervention stage but we now also provide other services such as information sharing and support group facilitation. We have found that survivors come back for counselling more regularly as it is now convenient for them. We have also found that more survivors come back to receive medications (anti-retrovirals and antibiotics for STI’s) than before, also because it is now more convenient.
At present the Sir Lowry’s Pass office is only open for one day each week, with regular community talks. The presence in the community is well received. In fact we now find that survivors that we meet at the intervention stage for the first time often already know who Ruth is and where to find her when we refer them to her for follow-up counselling. The Nomzamo counselling office is open two days a week, with support groups each month on the weekends.
Interaction with the community has been very positive, and feedback has also been very encouraging. Referrals come in from amongst others street committees, Shebeen / Taverns, the police, crèches, social workers, local clinics and schools. In total this past year over 140 referrals have come in from the community and over 250 people have been helped through these offices just in the first year. The community response to the project has confirmed the huge need and has confirmed that we are meeting this need. We are just hoping that a donor will see this and help us to provide an even better service, but especially will help us to have better conditions under which to work in these areas as the project needs more funding to improve facilities and finance operations and eventually more counselling offices are also needed in areas such as Macassar and Grabouw.
Telephone Counselling
Rape Crisis Helderberg has a 24-hour help line and we receive calls from near and far. The majority of the incoming calls are from people needing counselling after being raped. Other calls we handle include problems such as suicidal tendencies, relationship problems due to rape, date rape and incest. During 2008 over 2160 people used this crisis line.
Online Counselling and Information
In the beginning of 2007, Rape Crisis Helderberg, with the assistance of the very helpful team at Websurf built this web site.
Safe House
Towards the end of 2002, Rape Crisis Helderberg established a safe house. A few of the incest survivors who regularly attend our support group meetings are currently living in this home. They benefit greatly from this arrangement and living together provides a sense of family, a support network and loneliness is alleviated. We also refer rape survivors to this home in cases where the abuse happens where they reside. It is crucial that these clients be removed from their homes in order for their healing to start. |
