Gender Equality Saint Lucia Project #24055

Establishment of Sexual Assault Support Center

by Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia Inc

Summary

To establish a sexual assault support center in Saint Lucia to provide support and services to female victims and survivors of rape and other forms of sexual assault to recover and reintegrated into society. Women in St Lucia who have been subjected to sexual violence have no where to go for therapy and support and some wait as long as ten years for their case to be called and most times are dismissed by the justice system for lack of evidence as victims are pressured to provide evidence.

$880
total raised

17
donors

0
monthly donors

10
years

Challenge

Victims of rape and/or sexual assault makes a report to police, then to ER to process rape kit and is required to give a detailed statement to the police. The situation turns into a victim blaming session as both police officers and ER personnel are not trained or equipped to handle the emotional demands of victims. The victim is referred to human services dept which fails to provide counseling and support and often victims are left without support as there is no rape crisis center to assist

Solution

Establishing a Sexual Assault Support Center will provide victims assistance during the initial process by trained professionals, advocacy to ensure victims are not subjected to undue stress and further re victimization. The center will provide a shelter for victims to begin the process of rehabilitation with proper psychological support for themselves and their families. Victims/Survivors will have a place to get emotional and material support throughout the process until justice is served.

Long-Term Impact

The long term negative impact on sexual assault victims is at crisis proportions, victims do not get long term professional support, the absence of this initial support promotes an environment of impunity for violators and helplessness for victims and survivors, we will provide empowerment training and coping skills to minimize the effect of our victim blaming culture and ensure survivors are rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society. Our community outreach will focus on victim support.