CHW SUPPORTS SOCIAL SERVICES
Bat Ami Sexual Assault Center
The Bat Ami Center (“Daughter of My People”) is here to provide lasting support to victims of sexual assault from the earliest stages of recovery. Rapid and compassionate support given by a qualified response team is critical, influencing the victim’s ability to cope with the traumatic event and perhaps improve quality of life.
In May 2009, the Israel Ministry of Health formally approved the Bat Ami Center as a facility for the treatment of victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence in the greater Jerusalem area, serving all communities with cultural sensitivity in a variety of languages.
The experienced multidisciplinary team provides immediate, 24/7/365 treatment for children and adults regardless of gender, race or religion, and ensures each patient’s follow-up needs are met without further questions.
Care is all-inclusive, offering medical, psychological, and social support as well as forensic assistance and preventive treatment for pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases in one safe location. The team works according to protocols set by the Israeli Ministry of Health and the guidelines of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
200+ victims of sexual abuse will receive expert medical and emotional care each year at Bat Ami.
October 7 and the Crucial Ongoing Impact of the Bat Ami Center
In the aftermath of the October 7 massacre and its alarming incidence of rape and sexual violence, profound trauma has been afflicted upon the population of Israel. In Israel, only seven hospitals operate designated acute care centres for victims of sexual assault. The Bat Ami Center at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital provides services for more than one million people in the Jerusalem area, treating approximately 200 victims of sexual assault each year. As a dedicated trauma center specifically tailored to support victims of sexual abuse, this center serves as a vital sanctuary, where people of all age, gender, race, or religion can benefit from comprehensive care and time sensitive counseling.
The trauma from sexual assault can be so heavy that sometimes survivors do not speak about it for years, and the Bat Ami Center will be ready to help when that day comes.
15 doctors, 15 nurses, and 30 social workers are specially trained to work at the Bat Ami Center.
Empowering Justice
The Bat Ami Center provides comprehensive training for police sex crime
investigators and district judges. In collaboration with the Israeli Police, they prepared a protocol to guarantee that the victim’s welfare is the focus of police procedures.
Cooperation between the Bat Ami Center and the Israel Police has led to the solving of several cases. DNA samples taken at Bat Ami enabled the identification of a criminal who had raped three women, one of whom was under the age of 14.
The patients who reach out to Bat Ami often feel helpless, as if they have lost control. By enabling them to choose whether to report the attack, the person they would like to be with them during the exam, and how to tell their story, Bat Ami helps restores their sense of control.
Bat Ami Sexual Assault Center is supported through the CHW S.O.S – Starting Over Safely summer campaign.
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Image courtesy of Hadassah International.
Image courtesy of Hadassah International.
