| The organisation Frauen-Notruf has been helping women to escape domestic violence for more 20 years now, and many of these women have children. For these children domestic violence is an omnipresent and bitter reality. Over the years they sometimes experience their father insulting, controlling, beating, choking, raping their mother. The boys and girls often fear for their lives, feel completely helpless and at the same time responsible for this dreadful situation. This greatly affects their own possibilities for personal development. The victim/abuser status they have experienced often finds its way into their own later relationships. The children’s and youth counselling centre “phoenix” contacts the children affected and offers them help appropriate for their age group. |
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The children and youngsters get the support they need to put the violence they have experienced into words and help in coping with it. Here the focus is on their needs, their experiences and their abilities. Apart from this open counselling, “phoenix” also contacts the children and young people involved in their day-to-day environments: school, kindergarten or youth centres. This way they can also reach children affected, who themselves would not turn to the counselling centre. Topics such as “Protection against violence” and “Development of violence in a partnership” are dealt with, and tangible help can be given. The Auerbach Foundation helps “phoenix” to make an important contribution in preventing violence. |