WRC And CAA Revamp Services & Programmes
The Centre Against Abuse [CAA] and Women’s Resource Centre [WRC] announced a revamping of their services and programs in response to community needs and cost-efficiency efforts.
A spokesperson said, “For the past few years a number of community leaders have been encouraging the Women’s Resource Centre and the Centre Against Abuse to eliminate a perceived duplication of service provided by two distinct crisis response services for domestic violence [CAA] and sexual assault [WRC].
“After careful consideration of the community needs and the evolving goals of each of the not-for-profits, the Boards and staff of both organizations have approved transferring the WRC sexual assault hotline and response service to CAA.
“This is an opportune time for both organizations to make this change. WRC completed a comprehensive strategic review of its functioning in 2011, facilitated by Root Cause and funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, the outcome of which was a decision to refocus WRC to being a supportive resource center for all women in Bermuda and to pro-actively address women’s issues in this community.
“At the same time that WRC has increasingly supported women facing challenges other than sexual abuse, it has become increasingly apparent that men are victims of sexual assault and need access to crisis response services. CAA already responds to men who have experienced domestic abuse and, by extension, is in a position to respond to both women and men who have been sexually assaulted.
“The Executive Directors of WRC and CAA, Mrs. Patrice Frith Hayward and Ms. Laurie Shiell, have worked together to implement the transfer of the sexual assault hotline and response services to CAA, effective April 1st.
“The Board of Directors of CAA has enthusiastically approved the inclusion of sexual assault related services to CAA’s menu of vital services to abuse victims and perpetrators, including working with male clients for both sexual assault and domestic violence. ”
Mrs. Lorna Dixon- Marable, Chairperson for the Board, stated that “CAA Board members are pleased that CAA can now offer both domestic abuse and sexual assault services under our mandate to the community. CAA and WRC have always had a close working relationship, and we believe that the transfer of sexual assault prevention and assistance services to CAA is a natural fit for our organization.
“We look forward to the opportunity of providing Bermuda with professional services in both domestic abuse and sexual assault. CAA believes that this consolidation, along with their commitment to provide an array of direct and preventative services, will represent a major move forward in ending abuse in Bermuda.”
“WRC, chaired by Dr. Janet Kemp, is excited about the opportunity to be more responsive to the range of challenges faced by women in Bermuda, and is planning to provide support through counselling, connecting women to community resources, education, and advocacy. Leadership and development programs also are being planned, as WRC commits itself to ‘supporting women, strengthening families, and fostering community.”
“Both WRC and CAA thank the community for its support over the years and look forward to continued support in the future.”
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