WUNRN
Belgium: Shelter in Dire Need of Funds
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Entrance to the shelter. |
The
government must make sure that Belgium’s first ever shelter for women does not
have to go on turning down desperate appeals for help. Women abused at the
hands of partners and other family members have been able to turn to the Centre
for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence in Brussels for three
decades. But the Centre’s valuable service is at risk.
“In 2004, the Centre followed up over 4,800 requests for information and
advice,” says Myriam, who runs the Centre. “Over 200 people attended
consultations, and 45 women and their children were given shelter for an
equivalent of 7,300 nights.”
The Centre was set up in 1977 in the wake of publicity surrounding the
“Tribunal for Crimes against Women” in Brussels, where women told their stories
of abuse. Finally, the taboo on talking publicly about violence against women
in Belgium had been broken.
The Centre has provided shelter and legal, social and health services to
thousands of women since 1977. Its campaigns have targeted prejudice and
inaction among political decision-makers, the police and judges, and frontline
medical professionals.
Myriam, who works from a small office in Brussels, says: “We do receive
financial help from the authorities for the shelter. It’s never enough but we
cope. However, as to the advice service, we desperately need more resources.
For example, we deal with more than 5000 calls a year and we only have a single
telephone line.” She was trained in criminology, first working as a
volunteer at the Centre and now running it with a small staff.
“There is still a tendency to blame the victim… Women experience feelings of
shame and guilt. Some suffer permanent physical or psychological harm… The
problem is complex and different professionals are needed during the healing
process: doctors, therapists for the woman and the children, and a strong
collaboration between all those involved, including in the legal procedures, is
mandatory.”
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