This year Women Against Violence Against Women Rape Crisis Centre, WAVAW is running/walking to #EliminateTheWait, because no women should have to wait for counselling after being sexually assaulted. It’s appalling that the demand for sexual assault support services in our community exceeds the resources available: currently, there is a 1.5 year waiting list for women to access WAVAW’s free one-to-one counselling. A woman is sexually assaulted every 17 minutes in Canada, WAVAW is working harder than ever to raise money to fulfill the huge need for support services in our community—and to challenge the culture of violence that contributes to such shocking rates of sexual assault.
To put it in perspective, our waitlist is comprised of women in the following age brackets:
19yrs: 7 women 20-25: 44 women 26-29: 23 women
30-39: 49 women 40-49: 33 women 50-59: 10 women
60-70: 5 women
Counselling services at WAVAW include individual and group counselling for self-identified women who have experienced sexualized violence. Our counsellors work within a feminist perspective with anti-oppression analysis. Our goal is to support women and understand the impact of violence in all aspect of their lives as well as acknowledge their strength and resilience to continue in their journey from trauma to strength and healing.
We currently have three support groups:
- Women Connect is a monthly drop in group for women on our waitlist. The group offers the space, time, and opportunity for women to connect with each other, have conversation that will expand their understanding of the impact of trauma in their lives.
- Visioning Safety is a 4 week group using psycho-educational tools to focus on understating the impact of violence, containment strategies, resistance, self-care and exercises for grounding.
- Recharging Support Group is an 8 week group with a focus on empowerment and reconnections. This is a self-awareness and empowerment group that focuses on rebuilding and reconnect with self and life and recharging.
All of the money raised will help maintain and expand WAVAW’s counselling services to girls and women who have survived sexual assault. For over 30 years, WAVAW has been providing a wide range of direct services—including counselling, 24-hour crisis line support, accompanying women to the hospital, court and police station—while also addressing the root causes of violence through public education.
On June 28th WAVAW: Women Against Violence Against Women Against Women Rape Crisis Centre will participate in the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon or 5k Run/Walk as a featured charity to bring awareness and education about sexual assault. Join the team or discovery other ways you can help here.
