Helping Others Use Services in the Community

Preparation

• To encourage honest discussion and learning in a safe environment, this activity should be delivered in single-sex groups; i.e., only to men or only to women. The facilitators should also be of the same sex as the participants in the group (i.e. women facilitators should facilitate activities among groups of women), especially for any sensitive discussions. This activity is to be conducted with adults, but considerations should be given toward conducting activities with individuals grouped by similar ages. It should be emphasized throughout the curriculum that violence should never be tolerated or accepted. 
• If it would be helpful to your participants, create a table (example below) on flipchart paper. This will be used later in the activity.

 

Service	Benefits (reasons to use)	Barriers (reasons not to use)
Health services
Counselling/social work services
Police
Religious organizations (churches, mosques, temples)
NGOs
Safehouse
Women’s groups

• Ask participants to sit in a circle.

Introduction

• Tell participants, “In this activity, we will talk about finding help.”
• Ask participants, “Think about the last time when someone helped you.” Give participants a few seconds to think. 
• Ask participants, “Now think about the last time you helped another person.” Give participants a few seconds to think.
• Ask participants to share examples when they were helped or when they helped another person.
• After a few examples, tell participants, “Asking for help is something we do all the time. Often, our problems are more than anyone person can handle. Asking for help is not something to be ashamed of. Families and communities are stronger when we help one another.”

Implementation: Benefits and Barriers to Using Services

• If working with a large group, divide participants into groups of 3 or more people. Assign each group one of the following services – health services, counselling/social work services, police.
• In their small groups, ask them to discuss reasons why a person would use the service and wouldn’t use the service. Give groups five minutes to discuss reasons.
• Ask the groups to conclude their discussion. Ask each group for the reasons they came up with to use each service (benefits). Write the reasons on flipchart paper if this would be helpful to participants. Give additional examples if needed:

• Health service: Receive medical care for injury or illness
• Counselling/social work services: Receive mental health support, learn about government and NGO services
• Police: Help victims of crimes

• Ask each group for the reasons they came up with to not use the service (barriers). Write the reasons on flipchart paper if this would be helpful to participants. Give additional examples if needed: 

• No reason to go (benefits of accessing services are unknown)
• Don’t want to ask for help
• Services are too far away
• Services are too expensive
• No time to visit
• Staff are not helpful

Discussion: Encouraging People to Use Services

• In their small groups, ask them to discuss what they would say to convince another person to access the service. They should discuss the same service assigned previously. In their discussion, they should consider the benefits and barriers discussed previously. Give them 5-10 minutes to discuss.
• Ask each group to share what they discussed with the larger group.

Implementation: Supporting survivors of violence

• Tell participants, “People who survive violence often will not go to the police or tell other people what is happening to them. This can happen for a number of reasons. A survivor may be threatened by the person who used the violence against them not to tell anyone. They may feel that they deserve the violence.  They may feel embarrassed and do not want anyone to know about it. They may convince themselves that they are fine and they do not need help. It may feel natural to want to encourage a survivor to seek help. However, it is best to let the survivor seek help when they are ready to.”
• Give participants a minute to think about what you said. If you are comfortable, you can lead a discussion.
• Tell participants the following information. “Often, the first people that a survivor may speak to are trusted family members or friends. If someone approaches you who has experienced violence, the main priority is to provide the person with accurate information about professional services in the community that can assist them. However, how we react to and communicate with that person is very important. It is critical to allow them to make their own decisions on the steps that they want to take to give them back power over their own lives, which they may feel has been taken away through the incident.” 
• “Let’s discuss some recommendations about how to support this person.” Read each recommendation in the table below. Then ask participants what they think the reason is for the recommendation.

 

Recommendation	Reason
Do not tell anyone what the survivor has told you or write down any of the details without her permission.	What the survivor has told you could put her at more risk for violence. Sometimes, the person using violence against women threatens more harm if the survivor tells anyone what has happened. Reassure her that you will not tell anyone else what she has told you.
Believe what the survivor has told you.	Very often, people do not believe that women and girls who say that they have experienced violence. Do not ask for any proof. Listen to what they have to say without judgment. By listening, you are showing the woman or girl that you believe her. This can help encourage her to find professional help or use community services.
Avoid asking questions about the violence.	Listen, but don’t ask questions about what happened or find an explanation. This can sometimes put survivors under more stress to relive the experience. Avoid blaming the survivor for the violence; no one deserves violence.
Provide information on support services	Give her information about relevant support agencies and how she can contact them. Discuss some of the barriers to using the services and how those might be overcome.
Give her time to heal.	Avoid telling the survivor to forget about what had happened. She will carry the fear for some time after the violence. You can support her by accompanying her in her home or going to places to help her feel safe.
Let her control her healing.	Women who survive violence often do not feel that they have control of their lives. Do not advise what she should do, but give her information and support so she can take action when she is ready.
Do not approach or speak with the perpetrator of the violence.	This could put you and the woman/girl at additional risk of harm.

Closing

Encourage participants to keep using the Ideas Box as a place for education and to learn about community services.

Thank the participants for their participation.