Blossom Inc. leads way in court support for victims of sexual abuse, other types of traumas – helped to secure at least 20 convictions last year

Feb 08, 2021 News

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By Rehanna Ramsay
Kaieteur News – Blossom Inc. continues to be one of the nation’s premier organizations providing Court support services for victims of sexual abuse and other types of trauma.
In its latest report, the organization noted that in spite of the pandemic throughout the course of 2020, it continued to offer those services to facilitate sexual offences cases in Magistrate and High Courts in various parts of the country.
According to the report, Blossom Inc. has helped victims in rape and sexual assault trial secure at least 20 convictions for last year.
The agency’s role in the process is a critical one. Blossom’s Victim Support Advocates (VSAs) help to provide that encouragement, reassurance and comfort to complainants in rape and sexual violence cases, many of whom are children.
Family therapist and Blossom Inc. founder, Ayodele Dalgety –Dean explained that their support officers play an important part in making the court process less daunting and frustrating for the complainants.
“We sort of hold their hands through the entire process,” she said, adding that the thought of going to court could make people feel anxious and nervous.
“…Especially for a child having to recall that story, it can be very traumatic,” said Dalgety-Dean who specializes in trauma therapy.
The therapist explained that as VSAs, part of their job is to make the Court process less harrowing for the victims.
“All of our clients are given the recommended between 12-18 weeks of therapy, sometimes longer depending on the type of trauma, which they sustained. What we do is let them know that we are there for them, we hold their hands, provide emotional support and let them tell their story in a way they are comfortable doing it,” shared the Blossom Inc. founder.
According to Dalgety- Dean, some persons prefer to write the experiences while others do so orally.

She said, “Both are accepted because really, it’s about giving those who survived these horrible crimes, a safe place to express themselves without feeling any form of judgment, letting them know that whatever they have gone through, they don’t have to be ashamed because they were the ones taken advantage of.”
“And most importantly, is letting them know that they are believed because most victims have this fear of not being believed when they tell their stories. The process involves a lot of tears but it’s part of helping them heal,” the Blossom Inc. founder said.
Added to a list of tasks, Blossom’s VSAs provide follow-up support on clients’ cases at the police level, inform clients of their court dates, and accompany clients to court.
Dalgety-Dean said, “VSAs assist clients to review their statements to get them ready to give their testimony. Victims have the opportunity to visit the courtroom and learn about court roles, rules and procedures. Victims also run through the entire process with the prosecutors to prepare for the actual court session. VSAs collaborate with the Judiciary team to advocate for and work in the best interest of clients.”
In terms of the Court process, the agency has helped to prepare scores of victim impact statements for rape and other sexual offences trials. “These statements provide the court (judge and jury) with a perspective of how the ordeal impacted the life of the victim,” Dalgety -Dean noted, adding that while the victim impact statements provide the court with information of some evidential value, the real power of the statement lies with helping the victim to tell their story openly, knowing that the people will hear, believe, and empathize with them.
She explained that a big part of the work of Blossom Agents is to prepare the victims in the event that their alleged perpetrators are found not guilty.
“We have to prepare them to face the Court and sometimes their perpetrators by giving the information, which they need to reduce their fears and anxiety. Of course not in all cases, the offenders are found guilty, so we have prepared them for that. We let them know that even if the offenders are found not guilty, it does not mean that their stories were not believed, it is just that the evidence in the case was not enough to convict their abusers,” she said.
In addition to their work in the Courts, officials at Blossom Inc. have initiated efforts towards addressing the child sexual offence and family trauma issues from a cultural standpoint.
Since its establishment in 2014, Blossom Inc. has evolved into creating Child Advocacy Centres (CAC) across the country.
The not- for -profit agency has CAC offices at Mabaruma – Region One; Land of Plenty Essequibo Coast – Region Two; Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara – Region Four; Bartica- Region Seven and Linden and Kwakwani – Region Ten, Blossom Inc. which have served in excess of 6,000 people.
Dalgety-Dean said that part of the objective of the CACs is to help to facilitate therapy sessions, spread awareness and host training sessions with members of the community on how to deal with the various types of traumas arising from family issues.
Dalgety –Dean explained at the CAC locations, Blossom Inc. works with children and families affected by severe trauma: child sexual abuse, children who have suffered and witness extreme violence, children who have witnessed a parents’ death, migrant children, and families.
Those services include providing forensic interviews, trauma focused therapy, court support, victim advocacy/support psychosocial support, education and outreach services, migrant and host community service, coordination of the multi-disciplinary team to support victims of child sexual abuse.
She noted that many parents/caregivers who visit the centres regularly ask questions about the length of the therapeutic process and the CACs’ involvement in their court matters.
“There are normally family dysfunctions that therapists recognize during their first interaction with clients. Common themes include conflict in the family, combative parent-child relationships, trust and communication issues, children’s fear of disclosing abuse to their parents and blame directed at the child. These are issues that therapists make note of and revisit during the therapeutic process.
These issues suggest that many parents who visit the centres need comprehensive parenting training to learn how to effectively communicate and manage their children’s behaviour,” the family therapist said.
In this regard, Dalgety-Dean said that the agency has in particular, been using efforts to change the course of how society responds to victims of abuse.
She explained that, “We want to change the culture from victim blaming towards a culture that believes children when they say that someone has hurt them. The more successful prosecutions we see, it appears, the more confident victims and their families are in reporting child sexual abuse.”
Nonetheless, the founder noted that the work of Blossom Inc. is far from over. As such, she noted that the organization will continue to partner with the Childcare Protection Agency, Police, Director of Public Prosecutions, Regional Democratic Councils, Ministry of Health (hospitals), and the Education sector to help bring about the change the world needs.
Dalgety-Dean stated that while those within the social services and civil society fields of work play an important role in helping survivors to heal through various support mechanisms, education is needed for people to understand the effects of trauma and how it manifests so that society at large, including family and friends, resist the victim blaming that is so prevalent, even when dealing with children.

 

 

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