Bahamas Crisis Centre

Background

The Bahamas Crisis Centre is a private, non-profit organization located in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas. It was founded by Dr. Sandra Patterson in 1982 with the assistance of several people including Dr. Sue Fairclough and Salomie Gibson. It was originally called the "Women’s Crisis Centre" and was initially created to address the increasing need to provide intervention and preventative treatment and advocacy to women and children who were victims of domestic and/or sexual violence. Due to the stigma and shame surrounding these acts of violence in the Bahamas, it was necessary to provide a safe environment for these victims that offered professional help to assist them both mentally and socially. The Centre has grown to address issues affecting men and victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse in any form. It is maintained through the contributions of volunteers and a paid administrator.

The Women’s Crisis Centre was co-sponsored by the Psychiatric Social Work Department and the Community Mental Health Centre and was given a single room in the Community Mental Health Centre, Knowles House adjacent to Princess Margaret Hospital in 1982. In this facility, clients had the opportunity to attend afternoon sessions twice a week and an evening clinic once a week. The free services provided both then and now include marital therapy, family therapy, walk-in crisis counseling, support groups and legal advice.

The Centre opened initially on a six month trial period, but it was immediately obvious that, not only was there a demand for their services, but also the need for more space and funding to provide continued services. The project was permanently extended and in 1988, the Lyford Cay Foundation donated funds to provide extra office space at the Knowles House, office supplies and educational materials. By 1998, the Community Mental Health Centre relocated leaving only the Women’s Crisis Centre and the Family Violence Unit of Health Social Services in the building.

Official Name Change

In 1995, at the behest of the volunteers, the Women’s Crisis Centre officially changed its name to the Crisis Centre. This was done to reflect the need to include men in the process of eliminating violence against women and children. It also acknowledged the fact that both men and boys were coming to the Crisis Centre either as victims of domestic and/or sexual violence or as aggressors with the desire to end their abusive behavior. The name change also initiated a change in the overall focus of the Crisis Centre. Volunteers began directing part of their attention towards preventative strategies, with the hope of addressing violence in the youthful population so that there are less cases of violence in adults. This newfound direction led to the creation of the Green Ribbon Campaign in 2000, which is a 5-day, school program. It seeks to help young people look at ways to resolve conflict and eradicate violence in school environments as well as in the home. This campaign is held yearly.

Volunteers

The Crisis Centre is primarily run through the efforts of volunteers. The first members of the Centre were social workers, psychiatrists and counselors who offered their services through the Crisis Centre on a voluntary basis. As the Centre became further established, the number of persons wanting to volunteer increased and it became necessary to train these volunteers to handle the specific, sensitive issues of rape survival, domestic violence survival, child abuse, depression, STDs, etc. A volunteer training program was implemented, and as of 2002 the Crisis Centre has trained over 500 volunteers.

The volunteers have many tasks and are a vital part of the Crisis Centre. These tasks include:
*24-hour crisis hotline – manning the telephone lines after working hours and on the weekends
*Rape advocacy – whereby volunteers support rape victims through the hospital procedures and provide the survivor and her/his family with information to help them overcome the ordeal
*Court watch – volunteers attend different court cases to oversee whether or not the courts are ruling in favor of survivors and to note trends in rulings
*Educational outreach programs – volunteers hold rallies, assist with organizing workshops and provide exhibitions at various events to address specific issues of concern in the country. The first regional conference was held in Nassau, in 1998 and a second one is planned for 2007.
*Crisis Centre Month – the month of November has been designated Crisis Centre Month and each year a special supplementary advertisement is placed in the local newspaper addressing the issue chosen to be focused on for the month. Many outreach activities are planned both small and large scale.The volunteers meet once a month on Saturday to achieve these goals. Often guest speakers are invited to attend the meetings to share their knowledge on specific topics.

Legislation

Due to the awareness raising efforts of the Women’s Crisis Centre, key pieces of legislature were passed that give women and children more legal rights and power with regards to abusive situations. The first legislation passed was the "Domestic Violence and Sexual Offenders Act of 1991". This act included a much broader definition of rape and was not excluded to the previous definition which was vaginal penetration by a penis. It also mandated family members, guardians, nurses, doctors, teachers, and employers to report cases of suspected molestation and other forms of sexual violence for minors. The complete Act can be found here [http://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/statutes/statute_CHAPTER_99.html]

The second legislation, which passed quite easily due to the efforts of the Crisis Centre, was the "Child Protection Act of 2006". This Act outlines the rights of children and the penalties for those who break these rights. For more details look here [http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/bahamasweb2/home.nsf/a2adf3d1baf5cc6e06256f03005ed59c/964eb9d463cb01248525718d00590fe7!OpenDocument]

The most recent Act, the "Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Act of March 2007" includes teenagers and adults in common law marital situations (not officially married) and in visiting relationships (i.e. boyfriend/girlfriend) under the "Domestic Violence and Sexual Offenders Act of 1991" (no official document posted online as of June 2007).

The influence of the Crisis Centre can clearly been seen in the passing of these pieces of legislation. The Crisis Centre has also impacted other institutions in the Bahamas. These include:
*The use of rape kits in the local hospitals
*Two way mirrors in the police stations
*Video recordings of case hearings for sexually abused children in court
*The establishment of a sexual assault room at the Princess Margaret Hospital

Recognitions

The Crisis Centre has been acknowledged by several organizations for its tremendous effort to help women, men and children in violent and/or abusive situations. They include:

1994 - The Ministry of Housing and Social Services recognized the work of the Centre and added it to their list of charities. 1997 - The Crisis Centre was recognized as a model of excellence in Women’s Health Care by the Commonwealth Health Secretariat. 1998 - The Crisis Centre was granted consultative status at the United Nations. It was the first Bahamian organization to be accredited such a position.

For more information, please visit the website: http://www.bahamascrisiscentre.org

Resources:

*"The Crisis Centre Now, Celebrating The Past, Looking Forward The Future." (November, 2002). Publication from The Crisis Centre.
*Patterson, Dr. Sandra Dean (2007, April 15). Personal Interview.
*Website of the Bahamas Crisis Centre. (2007). [Online] . http://www.bahamascrisiscentre.org [2007, April 17] .] ""