Caring for sexually Abused
Children.
About Humura
Message from Director David Wald and the Team
"Our goal as a team is to respond to cases and reduce the number of sexual violence casualties in Rwanda, working together with the Government and professionals on the Ground. "
At the Humura Centre, we are privileged to have the opportunity to work with vulnerable chidlren in Rwanda. We offer a facility for children and families suffering from Sexual Violence. We repsond to emergency cases from the Police and Local Authorities offering logistical and professional support.
Hospital
Our case workers accompany the victims to the hospital for mediacal examinations and visit the familiy to support them. We follow up medical reports and work directly witht the Police within a 72 hour window.
Evidence
We then interview the child observed by the Police and Psychologist and Prosecutors (Obvservation video system) and pass this on to the Police to use as Evidence in Court. We offer the facility to the Police to also interview the children to collect victim statements
Psychotherapy
We then refer our chidlren to the Psychologist for an assessment and the familiy and the child then begin a specially desinged Therapy. This is esential in the recovery of the child and family through htis traumatice experience and prevents psychological conditions later in life,
Social Welfare
Our professional team follow up on the families and children regularly to assess the need of the family and support through the problems they face through the abuse for example stigma and social exclusion.
Preventative Measures
We are also also developing a training and sensitization program for the Communities in Rwanda designed to raise awareness of sexual violence as a crime. This includes training local law enforcement and social workers in the methods of conducting forensic interviews of children who have been victimized.
These interviews are a critical component in the investigative process and the testimonies can be used in Court to help prosecutors build a case against the perpetrators. Justine has already started to treat children and provide therapy to aid recovery for the abuse as RFJ begin to take cases referred by the Local Government in Butare.
Training District Leaders and University Students
We provide training to District Social Affairs Leaders, Prosecutors and Legal Personnel and Offer training to Law Enforcement Offiicers to try and tackle the issue of Child Protection and Interventions from all angles of professional life. We also offer workshops to University Students training the next generation in the Legal and Psychology fields. Working from teh bottom up, we try and engage all levels of the community.
"At Humura we use a specially adapted model of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help the children"
" We help the families to come to terms with what has happened to their child and offer support groups for the families"
'At Humura, we follow the case from referral to Court to therapy and after care.."
