Safe Space: Creating a safer reality - now more than ever

Try to imagine how it feels when your home, your safe  and familiar space, becomes a small shared space for all the family in a hotel room... for about six months and maybe even more... On October 7th everything in Israel stopped and the lives of many of us changed beyond recognition. Now imagine a child, a teenager, a woman or a man who has experienced sexual abuse and is also dealing with this traumatic experience, this displacement from their home. Or children and teens whose center of life is now the hotel, and they are more exposed, more vulnerable and more confused - the challenges and dangers are increasing daily. About 60,000 residents of the north of Israel were displaced from their homes during October 2023; Since then they have been living with a constant uncertainty about their future. In this reality the boundaries are blurred and the risk of abuse and exploitation increase across ages. That's why we're here: The Galil Golan Rape Crisis Center (GGRCC) has been around for 25 years and provides emotional and effective support to survivors of sexual abuse and their love ones, along with educational programs and advocacy efforts to promote equality, safety and healthy sexual behavior among children and teenagers. The GGRCC operates in the northern periphery of Israel. These days, many of us, employees, volunteers and educational facilitators, are displaced from our homes, yet we continue to operate the 24/7 emergency support line, our Wahtsapp support, we are  accompanying survivors through legal proceedings and conducting lectures and workshops for children, teenagers, parents and educators with the understanding that now they need us more than ever! Since October 7, the GGRCC has handled dozens of new cases that occurred following the war and the displacement from our homes. As a result of  the needs that we identified, our work these days focuses on raising awareness among parents and educators to create safe spaces for children and teenagers, promoting discourse with children and teenagers about equality, healthy sexuality, personal space and prevention of sexual abuse. All of this, alongside subsidizing therapy for survivors and survivors of sexual abuse who lack the means, especially nowadays, and are experiencing a rise in traumatic symptoms in these difficult days. In order to continue our work whenever and wherever needed, we need you! Help us, and together we will help the people of the north; Together we will prevent the next abuse.