HRCC offers services for survivors of sexual violence

Community dollars support a network of social services

For the last several years, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s Annual Campaign and the Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund have supported the Haifa Rape Crisis Center (HRCC)’s Valley Communities Outreach and Support Project. HRCC is a nonprofit agency dedicated to ending sexual violence through community outreach and programming to the region in northern Israel from Hadera to the Upper Galilee, an area that includes more than one million people.

In 2005, the Valley Communities Outreach and Support Project was created to focus on its peripheral, underserved valley population, including the Afula-Gilboa region. Both the Jewish Alliance’s Annual Campaign and Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund help to support the goals of the project – to raise the awareness of sexual violence and to encourage survivors of sexual abuse to seek support and consultation to aid in healing.

HRCC’s Valley Communities Outreach and Support Project facilitates a range of workshops and support groups for youth and adults, and commits its resources to supporting survivors of sexual violence; to raising the awareness of community members and professionals on the subject of sexual violence and survivors’ trauma; and to protecting survivors’ rights. HRCC operates a 24-hour hotline for survivors of rape, sexual assault, incest and sexual harassment. It also is involved in international advocacy efforts to influence legislation and advance the cause of eliminating sexual violence worldwide.

The adult support group allows survivors to break their silence, isolation and the stigma often resulting from sexual abuse. It allows participants to foster exploration and resolution of their trauma and its aftermath. The support group approach aims to provide a safe and confidential environment in which women can share their experiences and begin to address the impact that living with violence and abuse has had on their lives. The group meets weekly in two-hour sessions and is led by two therapists.

The adolescent support group was created to focus on processing the abuse, rebuilding self-confidence and body image, and encouraging survivors to engage in mutually respectful relationships. The emphasis is on coping with past abuse and preventing future abuse.

“The significance of the group for me was family and home. A family of women that understand and love me. A family that I choose to call family. The center was for me a home, a place that was gentle and nice that no matter what happened to me I had this place as a support once a week. The group helped me to open my mouth and voice what I have to say which gave me the courage to believe in myself and to see a more optimistic future despite my having been abused,” said a participant of the support group.

While statistics show that approximately one in three Israeli women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime, HRCC reports that in Afula-Gilboa region, one in four women and one in eight men will be sexually abused during their lifetime. The long-term consequences of such abuse can include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, suicidal behavior, eating disorders, difficulty establishing healthy interpersonal relationships and withdrawn or violent behavior.

HRCC takes a multifaceted approach to addressing sexual violence and works to empower survivors by delivering services in a sensitive and appropriate manner. As part of this empowerment process, HRCC uses the term “survivor” instead of “victim” in order to fully recognize the trauma a person who has been sexually abused has gone through and to value and appreciate the strength and courage it took to survive.

The Jewish Alliance and the Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund are proud to contribute to the existence of this project and to support the strength of its survivors. “Funding for social services like these, both locally and overseas, is imperative. The Community Development Committee (CDC) allocations process allows our community to identify and target areas of need wherever they exist in our entire Jewish family,” said Faye Wisen, Jewish Peoplehood co-chair of the CDC.

JENNIFER ZWIRN is in Grants and Philanthropy at the Jewish Alliance. Contact her for more information about programs supported by the Jewish Alliance.