Continuing to illuminate the children's path

"Picking yourself up from a painful and agonizing crisis requires more than an internal core of strength. You need a meaningful adult to give you a hand, who'll fight for your rights and for your voice to be heard. Someone to make you feel less alone- and that's what the Council for the Child was for me when I was just a little girl. They were there for me in my darkest and most difficult moments…" Maly Lev Marcus, Incest survivor, social activist & accompanied by the Council for the Child 1 in 5 children in Israel is a victim of a sexual or violent crime. Only a few find the courage to file a police complaint, or someone else identifies their distress and reports it to law enforcement. The children do this with the hope that the pain will stop and justice be made, allowing life to return to its path. Only then can the children start their long rehabilitation process. In Israel, in recent years, 15,000 child abuse police files have been opened annually, and 55,000 reports of children at risk as accepted. The Child victims Assistance program accompanies children who have been sexually assaulted or violently abused. We do so from the moment they file a police complaint and through the criminal proceedings that can take years. During the criminal proceedings, the children undergo investigations, endure invasive physical examinations and give testimony in court. Without proper assistance and support, the criminal proceeding can trigger the pain and suffering of the assault. The harmful byproduct of the legal process prevents their rehabilitation. When we set out on Illuminating the children's Path Fundraising campaign one year ago, we asked for your support for the children. I'm pleased and proud to share that we have attained and surpassed those goals: During 2022, we accompanied 555 girls and boys under 18yo, all victims of sexual or violent crimes, we provided counseling and guidance to 250 children, parents, and professionals, and we recruited and trained 49 new volunteers, all Law students, to accompany the children during their difficult times. There are still many children that need our help. They come to us confused and afraid in their most trying of times. Our responsibility is to give them a hand, be there for them and say: We are right next to you, and we'll illuminate your path until a safe haven. Please pledge your commitment to our cause of preventing more harm and hardship from these brave and resilient children.