No holiday for victims

No holiday for victims

During this past December when the country was in holiday mode, Victim Support staff and volunteers were responding to a massive 30.9% increase in calls to support victims. Last December it received 4641 calls compared to 6074 this year.

Behind these crisp, analytical statistics are the thousands of people left reeling by the resulting trauma. Often wide circles of relatives, friends and neighbours can be effected by a single incident.

These are the people that Victim Support are there for - people helping people - providing support at a vulnerable time in their lives. While volunteer Support Workers responded to new incidents during December, they were also supporting existing victims. There is no time limit on helping people - some serious incidents may take a year or more to come to court and conclusion, and even then the victim may need ongoing support.

This free service provides emotional and practical support, information, referral to other support services and advocacy for the rights of victims.

The majority of Victim Support referrals come directly from police attending an incident, the remainder are from the public. Victims are offered support and some may refuse at the time, but then they realise they are not able to cope with everyday life and need Victim Support help.

It is widely accepted that victims of crime who are not provided adequate support in the immediate aftermath are at greater risk of experiencing things such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and repeat victimisation.

Victim Support

National Office 180 Molesworth Street, PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140

p +64 4 474 8862 f +64 4 495 3076

victimsupport.org.nz

Victim Support is a free 24 / 7 community response to people dealing with, in some cases, the worst time of their lives. People who receive adequate support and information are more likely to remain connected in a positive way with their whanau, family and local community and are better placed to rebuild their lives.

To remain free of charge the service relies on financial support from the public, please go to www.victimsupport.org.nz to make a donation.

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