This project will provide healing, justice and restored hope for survivors of church sexual (and other types of) abuse through providing paralegal services in criminal cases of sexual offences; sharing resources on trauma-informed care best practices to families of survivors; training law enforcement on trauma informed approaches in dealing with survivors of sexual abuse; and training communities on safeguarding and mental health support of survivors.
Abuse against women and children is a big problem in Zambia, including within churches. Church leaders are viewed with great reverence in Zambia, so many survivors find it hard to speak up to seek support or pursue justice and suffer the trauma from their abuse alone. The stigma surrounding mental health care is also a big barrier to survivors accessing the help they need; and the lack of safeguarding awareness makes it easy for vulnerable people to be abused in institutions, including churches.
Restored Hope Zambia (RHZ) will provide free trauma informed care and legal advice to church sexual abuse survivors. RHZ also provides resources for families of survivors on trauma-informed care of survivors. Finally, RHZ will work in communities to challenge narratives that contribute to church abuse and educate on abuse prevention (safeguarding) and mental health care. This include training law enforcement on trauma informed approaches in dealing survivors of sexual abuse.
This project will provide healing, justice and restored hope for 10 survivors of church abuse by providing support and beginning to remove the stigma that they face. It will ensure that communities themselves are equipped to prevent, recognise and respond helpfully to child sexual abuse and gender based violence so that they can better support any abuse survivor in their communities. It will help up to 5 communities and churches to be places of care and refuge for children and vulnerable people.
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