The Rape Crisis Society of TT has been providing support to victims of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) since 1984.
In May, the society took on a new responsibility with the launch of a bilingual hotline that is accessible to both TT nationals and migrants from Venezuela.
Project manager Kimiko Scott told Sunday Newsday over the years the organisation had extended its advocacy reach through a number of different projects, with the Ayúdate hotline being is its most recent. Ayudate is Spanish for “help you.”
“The toll-free hotline, 866-7428, operates at night – from 6 pm to 6 am – seven days a week and is accessible to both males and females, in English and Spanish… In terms of the need we assessed when we started, it seemed to have been more of a priority at night. For instance, the circumstances may be such that people may need privacy to make these types of phone calls, like while children are asleep.”
Scott said there are both Venezuelan migrants and bilingual Trinidadians who are listeners on the line, three of whom are male.
[caption id="attachment_926613" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Rape Crisis Society project manager Kimiko Scott leads the organisation's new initiative to provide help to Spanish-speaking migrants. - PHOTO BY SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
“This is to help people who may be seeking advice on addressing cases of domestic violence, harassment, depression, post-traumatic stress and overall mental health.” She said callers to the hotline who demonstrate severe trauma or express a desire are offered access to follow up professional counselling.
“From May when we started to the end of October, we had fielded over 200 calls, and I would say about 56 per cent were Venezuelan migrants and the other percentage would have been local population. Approximately 20 per cent of our callers thus far have been male.”
Scott said during the state of emergency, the Society had seen the number of reports for gender-based violence almost double. “The SoE magnified the need for access to services and support that can help people work through the things they may be facing. These requests have increased through our regular 24-hour hotline as well.”
She said the listeners have received intensive training in any crisis situations that may arise, how to deal with cases that involve children, and how to treat with someone who is in an immediate domestic violence situation. The training, she said, will be beneficial to the listeners too, as it provides them with skills they can use when they move forward to new job opportunities.
Because the number is attached to a landline, listeners are required to be at the Society’s compound in St James for their shift. Two listeners and their supervisor work from 6 pm to 10 pm, and another shift comes on from 10 pm to 6 am.
“The project is a collaboration with the Better Together Challenge, a partnership led by the US Agency for International Development and the Inter-American Development Bank. I
