Sexual violence: first help centres soon to become a reality

As from next year, victims of sexual violence in Belgium too will be able to visit specialised centres with doctors, psychologists and legal advisers under one roof. “Sexual violence doesn’t just affect the health of victims, it also impacts their relationships and their life at work. So it’s a question of caring for them as quickly as possible and in the best way possible,” says Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities Elke Sleurs. “The cross-sectoral approach in those professional centres guarantees better handling of the traumas people have been through.”

In an initial trial period in cooperation with the University of Ghent, there will be three centres, in hospitals in Flanders (possibly in Ghent), Brussels and Wallonia. “If the recipe turns out to be a successful one, other cities will follow at a rapid pace,” Elke Sleurs promises.

Inspiration from abroad

Victims of sexual violence, men and women alike, will be followed up in these centres for longer than one day. Not only will they be given medical care and psychological guidance, they will also be able to make use of legal assistance. If they want to report a rape, the police will attend the centre to interview them on-site. The centres will also test the victims one month after the event for post-traumatic stress syndrome. “Examples from abroad have taught us that this broad, multidisciplinary approach works,” says Elke Sleurs. In the Netherlands there have been ten centres for sexual violence operating since 2012, and Denmark is also hard at work on the issue. In the UK and Ireland, the model has actually been in place for as long as 30 years now.

More willingness to report

The initiative by Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities Elke Sleurs is anything but premature: the number of rapes per year in Belgium is estimated at 43,000. That’s at least 100 a day. Remarkably enough however, only one in ten victims makes an official report. The planned centres are intended to help in this respect as well. “Examples from abroad demonstrate that a multidisciplinary approach causes the number of reports to increase,” Elke Sleurs concludes.