“Every year Patch receives up to three calls from various corporate organisations looking to dedicate their 67 minutes visiting our child clients, handing out items to them and taking photos. After explaining that we are not a safe house and due to the nature of the crime that we specialise in, we need to protect the identities of our child clients, we are overlooked and asked to refer another NPO which is exceptionally disappointing for us.”
These are the disheartening words of Amanda-Lea Jones, corporate fundraiser for Patch, the Helderberg centre for child victims of sexual abuse which in commemoration of Mandela Day (Tuesday 18 July) calls on the compassionate community members to show support in a way that is desperately needed and truly appreciated.
Patch has recently distributed a flyer which divulged the shocking fact that the centre received 13 referrals in just the first week of the month (July), with the youngest victim being the tender age of three.
On further enquiry, Jones deemed the statistic not unusual as the centre often receives up to 40 or more cases per month.
“We always expect a slow number of cases during the school holidays as families go away. It’s only once the schools reopen that Patch receives an influx of referrals when children report the abuse that has taken place during the holiday period to their friends or teachers who ultimately report the case to our organisation,” she elaborated. “The fact that we are maintaining the same level of referrals during the holiday period shows that we have created a level of awareness over the years, in particular though our prevention efforts, encouraging early reporting.”
Pulsed further, Jones said that the majority of the 13 referrals received in the given period involved a loved one or family member, who is sadly the alleged perpetrator, which when known to the child are able to take advantage of their vulnerable nature, isolate them and of course have access to them at all times, especially during the holiday.
“Any case of child sexual abuse is concerning for us, but a high referral rate is not necessarily a bad thing. We do all we can to encourage early reporting through our prevention efforts, the fact that these cases are being reported is a good thing, it’s the number of cases that are not being reported that is even more concerning. We can only continue maintaining a presence in the Helderberg by educating as many adults and children as possible on the dangers of child sexual abuse and how easily it can occur by those we least expect.”
Asked what actions are prompted by Patch staff considering the recent statistical data, Jones said the centre focuses efforts to ensure that the social workers are kept up to date with the latest training techniques used during a forensic assessment or the therapeutic process, which also benefits the child should the case become a criminal one. “The prevention team focuses on expanding their awareness and prevention programmes to educate individuals on how easily child sexual abuse can occur as well as who to report to and what to expect once a case has been reported.
“We do, however, encourage parents to communicate with their children, being more aware of how easily child sexual abuse can occur, a parent/caregiver is more open to noticing certain behaviour of their children around adults or other individuals that might make them feel uncomfortable,” she explains.
For those who may not know, Patch is an acronym for the Prevention And Treatment of Child sexual abuse in the Helderberg. The organisation has been in operation since 2 June 1992 and specialises in the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse in the basin and its surrounds. After over 30 years of operation, Patch remains the only organisation in the entire Helderberg that provides free prevention, therapeutic, medical and court support to child victims of rape and sexual abuse.
Among services offered are: prevention and awareness programmes to children and parents in Helderberg communities; comprehensive 24-hour crisis intervention to child victims of sexual abuse providing a medico-legal examination, access to Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) treatment in order to prevent HIV and/or STD’s (sexually transmitted diseases) as well as pregnancy; professional assessments and therapy to child victims of sexual abuse in the child’s home language at a Patch facility close to the child’s home; and court preparation should a child’s case become a criminal one.
Patch, like many non-profit organisations, battles the challenge of financial constraints. “Donors are not able to know the identity of our child clients or their full history. Due to the fact that confidentiality is so important combined with the fact that the main service we provide (our therapeutic support) is an instantiable service, we are most of the time overlooked when it comes to funding opportunities. We do encourage site visits for those who wish to know more about our organisation, how we operate and our team behind the scenes. Seeing this first-hand may promote more support,” explained Jones.
However, highlights for the organisation are when there has been a conviction of a perpetrator or when a child has come to the end of their therapeutic journey. Many children remain with Patch for a long period of time, or they may come back for therapeutic support during various stages of their life.
“We enjoy watching them grow, mature and become wonderful, amazing young adults full of potential and empowerment,” added Jones.
For those wanting to open their hearts to Patch, which continues to offer an invaluable service to the community as a beacon of hope to little ones who have survived unthinkable trauma, help is not just needed in the form of donations.
“We understand that times are challenging for all, we therefore do not expect hand-outs, we would love for the community to purchase a cup of coffee and a waffle made in our Patch coffee trailer at the Somerset West office, on the corner of Dorhill and Dummer street on Tuesday 18 July between 08:00 and 16:00. Visitors will have the opportunity to shop in our charity shop as well as engage with our social workers and tour our office to see how we operate,” implored Jones.
“We are not expecting coffee sales to bring in huge financial support, however, we are hoping it will benefit the community by creating awareness to children and adults who will know who to report a case of sexual abuse to and hopefully awareness among individuals and local corporates who may be keen to support the services of Patch financially in the future.
