In Conversation With Céline Bisschop and Bart Claes of Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk (CAW)
Every victim of a crime, disaster, or terror attack has the right to counselling, aid, and support, whether a complaint or report has been filed with the police or not. Have you lost a friend or family member to a road accident or suicide? That means you’re also entitled to that same care. CAW, the Centre for Social Welfare (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk), provides essential victim support in Flanders and Brussels. We spoke with Céline Bisschop and Bart Claes to find out more about what CAW does.
CAW Victim Support aims to be there for every victim early on. Why?
Céline: Victim support is already available to so many people. CAW’s close collaboration with the police and the courts makes it easy for those in need to get in touch with our victim support division. That said, there are still victims who fly under the radar and aren’t helped by the police or the justice system, either because they never lodge a complaint or because an intervention never takes place. There are also people who have experienced something traumatic but don’t feel like victims. And let’s not forget all the family members, partners, and friends of victims. We aim to make Victim Support more accessible to these groups through greater visibility and awareness.
What prevents people from asking for help?
Céline: Sometimes people feel embarrassed, ashamed to discuss what happened to them in public. Or perhaps they do talk about it, but their community doesn’t see or acknowledge them as victims. All the while, they struggle with feelings they don’t know how to process. For instance, a phishing victim may often feel overwhelmed by embarrassment, wondering how they could possibly have fallen for such a scam. If they mention it to friends or family, there’s a good chance they’ll be mocked for their gullibility. The bank will look into if and how their money can be recovered, but they won’t refer them to CAW Victim Support.
Bart: In terms of general prevention, we’ve got our work cut out for us there. We need to open up a space for talking about victimisation. Because at the end of the day, anyone can experience an earth-shaking, traumatic event: anyone can become a victim. But talking about it, much less asking for help, can be incredibly hard.
Phishing is a relatively new form of victimisation. And the focus on sexual violence is also greater these days. How does CAW approach these developments?
Céline: Whatever happens, Victim Support’s counsellors always do their best to respond to every aid request. Nevertheless, a few underlying principles always apply. We offer emotional support and counselling, as well as practical, legal, and administrative support, and we refer additional services if necessary. Above all, the focus is: What is a normal response to an abnormal event? What are your needs as a victim? What do we call a normal recovery or grief process, and how can we facilitate one? Newer kinds of victimisation often entail more legal footwork. That means we have to be sufficiently up to date on the law and legislative frameworks. CAW’s legal experts do an excellent job on that front. We face the same challenge for disasters abroad. Often, the situation is incredibly complex. The trick is to have plenty of critical feelers who continually gather and circulate the right information to the right people.
Victims of trauma and catastrophe often decide not to file a report. Why?
Bart: The testimony of a domestic violence victim springs to mind. She had to suffer 40 counts of domestic violence before going to the police. They’re victims, yes, but there are obstacles that keep them from reporting. For example, they could be worried about the impact on their kids or have financial concerns. I think we’ve got to get out there even more, to be present and available where victims are found. That means assessing whether GPs, hospital A&Es, Sexual Assault Referral Centres, peer support groups, and self-help groups are sufficiently aware of our services.
Victims frequently say that they don’t feel like victims. They play down what happened or assume they can fix things themselves. How do you respond?
Céline: Our premise and perspective start with the idea that victims respond in conventional ways to abnormal events. They often do manage to resolve the issue themselves, and if they contact CAW Victim Support, we provide aid for as long as it’s needed. What we frequently notice, however, is that the community they live in often imposes a timeframe on how long someone is ‘allowed’ to process. Sometimes, people wait a really long time because nobody believes them, because the fallout is too all-consuming, or because a host of survival strategies get in the way. These people often don’t identify as or feel like victims despite actually being the victims of a traumatic experience. CAW needs to be a familiar face for these people too. We’ve got to open up a space for talking about victimisation. We’ve got to break the taboo around it.
Bart: Staf Van Pelt really inspired me. I interviewed him at the Victim Support Europe Conference. Staf collaborated on Godvergeten (Godforsaken), a Flemish TV programme on sexual abuse in the church. ‘Don’t call me a survivor or a victim’, he said. ‘I’m a person who has been victimised.’ His approach sheds new light on how we look at this as an organisation. The story isn’t about feeling victimised immediately after the crime. It’s not a one-off thing. Instead, it’s about a life experience that has a profound, jarring impact, leaving you with an indelible victimisation experience. The event itself may have happened a lifetime ago, but you still feel like you need help processing it now. CAW Victim Support is there for these people too.
How does Flanders fare in comparison with other European countries? Do we still have work to do?
Bart: We don’t give ourselves nearly enough credit in Belgium when it comes to victim support and care. Plenty of EU countries are blown away by the diversity of specialised services and departments that have teamed up to provide victim-centred support in Belgium.
The police offer a victim support service. They’re usually the first to meet victims and offer immediate aid following a traumatic or catastrophic event. What’s more, the Ministry of Justice has a Victim Assistance Service available to victims and their loved ones during criminal proceedings. For example, someone can accompany you to court and provide legal counsel. For psychosocial support, victims can turn to CAW’s Victim Support. Victim Support offers a safe space to talk about what’s happened to them. It’s a place to learn about potential responses to trauma and what can be expected on the road to processing trauma. Each organisation aids victims by staying true to its core mission and strengths. Combined, those in need benefit from a complementary range of support.
How do you think victim support will evolve in the near future?
Bart: I see tremendous potential in general prevention, early detection, and early intervention. In that context, I think of psychoeducation and providing people with targeted tools early on to support those who have experienced something traumatic. Our counterparts at Victim Support Netherlands are a fantastic source of inspiration on that front.
Céline: Personally, I can’t wait for the roll-out of OSCAR, our universal trauma support methodology. Throughout Flanders and Brussels, victims knocking on CAW’s door can expect the same kind of aid. Several principles dictate how people register, how initial contact is made, and how we follow up on victims. However, OSCAR also addresses potential risk factors to which we should be alert. It’s all incorporated into a comprehensive framework for action for all our CAW Victim Support counsellors.
