Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center + Sexual Assault Support & Help for Americans Abroad Program
Author: WUNRN
Date: November 6, 2015
Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center
And the Sexual Assault Support & Help For Americans Abroad Program, SASHAA.
Providing Domestic Violence & Child Abuse Services to American Women & Children Overseas
The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center, 866-USWOMEN
The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center can be reached internationally toll-free from 175 countries. To contact the toll-free crisis line from overseas, first dial your AT&T USADirect access number and at the prompt, enter our phone number: 866-USWOMEN (879-6636). The center serves abused Americans, mostly women and children, in both civilian and military populations overseas.
According to the US State Department estimate in 2010, 5.25 million American civilians live in foreign countries. If these Americans were in one state, it would be the 17th largest state in the US.
The US Department of Defense states there are approximately 500,000 military personnel and their families overseas. Our priority is to reach as widely and deeply as possible into these American communities and raise awareness of the services we offer to battered American women and children to help them realize that they do have alternatives to living a life of violence and help them break the cycle.
The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center receives funds from multiple foundations & corporations overseas and within the USA. This support has enabled us to help abused American women and children in countries around the world. In addition to providing domestic violence advocacy, safety planning and case management, we assist victims with relocation, emergency funds for housing and childcare, and funds for payment of legal fees.
Our Global Campaign To Empower Americans Experiencing Domestic Violence Abroad began in the fall of 2009 in Europe and, during the next three years, will be expanding to Asia, Central America, South America, and Northern Africa.
Sexual Assault Support & Help for Americans Abroad – SASHAA Launches Worldwide
PORTLAND, Ore., July 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The Sexual Assault Support & Help for Americans Abroad Program, SASHAA, has launched a new resource to assist American citizens and legal permanent residents who are sexually assaulted in a foreign country while taking a holiday overseas.
Over 80 million Americans travel overseas every year. The Sexual Assault Support & Help for Americans Abroad program, SASHAA, was created to ensure Americans victimized in a foreign country have immediate access to services no matter where they are in the world.
SASHAA case managers provide an informed, compassionate response, as well as advocacy and assistance navigating medical, law enforcement and legal options. This support is continued long term, including counseling and other services. The program can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from overseas by calling an international toll free hotline, 866-USWOMEN, via the AT&T Direct Access code for each country. Instructions can be found on the SASHAA website, www.sashaa.org. Other forms of communication include a live chat feature on the SASHAA website, and a crisis email: crisis@866uswomen.org.
If the caller is more comfortable communicating in a foreign language, SASHAA advocates and case managers have access to a language bank.
SASHAA is a program of the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center. AODVC, www.866uswomen.org was founded in 1999 to assist American victims of domestic violence overseas by Paula Lucas. Paula lived overseas for 14 years, escaping back to the USA with her three sons to flee domestic violence and child abuse. She founded the program based on what she had wished had been available to herself and her children.
In 2010 AODVC began serving American sexual assault victims organically. “Funding from the US Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, enabled us to formally establish the SASHAA program,” Paula Lucas, Founder & Executive Director, explains. “We know that statistically, only a small portion of American sexual assault victims overseas reach out for help. With our confidential, 24/7 program, we hope more victims will reach out for assistance during the worst experience of their lives.” SASHAA is also a resource for study abroad programs, Americans teaching English overseas, employees traveling overseas for work, and so on.
SASHAA also operates an email aimed at prevention: Knowb4ugo@866uswomen.org.
Prior to departing overseas, travelers can email the knowb4ugo email and get information about the country they are traveling to including how to reach SASHAA from overseas.
For more information please visit www.sashaa.org or email Alix Allison, Global Safety Net Coordinator, at alix@866uswomen.org.
http://www.866uswomen.org/About-Us.aspx
Categories: Releases