Alliance Blog
Name: Vicki
Organization: The Awareness Center, Inc. (international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault)
Q: How long have you been a Rape Crisis Advocate?
26 years
Q: How did you become a Rape Crisis Advocate? Is it your full-time job? If not, what is your full-time job?
I started volunteering time at VOICES in Action back in 1985, a few
month after the international organization got started. It was one of
the first organizations on childhood sexual abuse. Besides being an
incest survivor I am also the survivor of a sexual assault at the age of
23 and another one at the age of 50. After being sexually assaulted at
age 23, and going through counseling, my advocate asked if I would like
to share my story with high school students in Chicago. I started
doing it and realized that I wasn’t alone and that by speaking out that I
was helping others who might not have gotten help.
I went back to school and got my degrees and am a licensed clinical professional counselor.
Q: Why did you become a Rape Crisis Advocate?
I wanted to help others who are victims of sex crimes heal. I learned
how important it was to have people in my life who understood what I
was going through and wanted to be there for others.
Q: Describe a “typical” day as a Rape Crisis Advocate. What
is a day like if you are not called? What is the process once you do
receive a call? What is it like for you while on-call?
I am the founder and CEO of The Awareness Center, which is the
international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Assault. I deal with
survivors on a daily basis from all over the world. We do our best to
operate as the make a wish foundation for Jewish survivors of sex
crimes. When someone calls we try to help them obtain what ever it is
they are looking for.
Q: What kinds of sexual assault victim services does [Organization] provide?
We offer a clearinghouse of information and resources on our web
page. It’s sort of like “everything you ever wanted to know about
sexual violence and sex offenders but were afraid to ask”. We also
provide resources to survivors who are Jewish from within every movement
in Judaism. Resources include counseling, legal, law enforcement,
medical, holistic, etc. We also have a Jewish Sex Offender Registry
which is an online database of cases around the globe. Due to funding
shortages our database is not up to date.
Q: What areas of NYC are serviced by your Rape Crisis Program?
We work within in all Jewish communities through out New York, by
providing information and resources. We area also in the process of
developing a self-help group in Brooklyn. We are currently looking for a
location to hold weekly meetings.
Q: How can people learn more about [Organization]?
By visiting our web page at www.theawarenesscenter.org or by calling 443-857-5560. We are a volunteer based organization
with little funding so at times it can take us up to a month to return
phone calls. They can also send e-mails to info@theawarenesscenter.org
Q: In your opinion, what is currently the most pressing issue facing Rape Crisis Advocates in NYC?
Because The Awareness Center works within The Jewish Community, we
are faced with so many obsticals especially in the orthodox world.
Things are changing since we got started 10 years ago, yet we still deal
with the fact that the majority of cases are not reported to law
enforcement, instead they are reported to local orthodox rabbis who tell
victims not to report crimes to the police. We are slowly seeing more
cases coming out in the news media, yet in the more insulated
communities survivors are shunned and shamed if they are assaulted and
or try to make police reports.
Q: What advice do you have for people interested in volunteering?
We often have to warn survivors especially from the orthodox world
that they will get harassed for helping victims and that we do our best
to train them to be prepared. We are trying to organize a 40 hour Rape
Victim Advocacy Training Program which will include Halacha (Jewish
Law). We have not been sucecssful in funding the program, yet would
love to team up with a program in NYC to do so, in hopes of better
addressing issues in the ultra orthodox world. If this is something you
would be interested in doing please call me
Q: Where do you see the City’s sexual assault services in 5 years? 10 years?
My hope is that there will be trained advocates from the orthodox
world working in local rape crisis centers to help build a bridge
between their communities and the rest of society when dealing with sex
crimes. Unfortunately, we have pseudo-advocates out there that don’t
have the education or training who are working with those who are part
of the problem. I would like to see this practice end.
Q: What does a world without sexual violence look like to you?
Utopia.
Q: What current event has your attention the most right now?
There are some cases that will be breaking soon, once the survivors
are ready to go forward. We also doing everything in our power to start
our first self-help/networking group in NYC for Jewish survivors of
sexual violence. One goal is to have several meetings each week that
are especially geared for those from the more insulated communities.
Q: What is the most significant change in the City’s services since you have been working as a Rape Crisis Advocate?
When I first got started, there were very few rape crisis centers
across the country. If I remember correctly NYC had the first one, that
opened back in 1975. I got started right after the laws changed in
which there was a legal definition for sexual abuse and assault. It’s
amazing how much better things are today then they were 26 years ago.
Between things like a national sex offender registry, Megan’s law, a
legal definition for stalking and sexual harassment and also now
survivors can obtain orders of protection if they are being talked by
their offender, etc . There still is a great deal of work to do, yet
we’ve come a long way since 1985.
