Department of Protective Services, Ministry of Health and Welfare

The mission of Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is to promote the health and well-being of all citizens. Its vision is to assure quality, increase efficiency, distribute resources equally, take care of social vulnerable groups, establish a welfare society, and contribute to the international affairs. MOHW accomplishes its mission and vision by implementing ten strategies:  enhancing the welfare service delivery system, improving the quality of health care, strengthening mental health of all citizens and protecting families at high-risk, creating a supportive and healthy environment, preventing and controlling infectious diseases, making food and drugs safe, enhancing the social insurance system, making health affairs an international issue, enhancing technological development, and enhancing capacity of our organization. Among other administrative arms under MOHW is the Department of Protective Services, which oversees services for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, and the Department of Mental and Oral Health, which oversees intervention and treatment of perpetrators and survivors with mental health issues.

Taipei City Center for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Taipei City Government (TCG) established the department specifically to handle domestic violence and sexual assault cases based on Article 8 of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act and Article 6 of the Sexual Assault Prevention Act. We gathered resources from Police, Education, Health, Social affairs, Household Registration and, Judicial departments to build a prevention network for domestic violence and sexual assault in order to protect the safety of citizens and hope to achieve zero violence and zero assault as our ultimate goal.

TCG established seven job scopes based on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention work. Each department conducts its annual plan managed by the rules and regulations of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention based on the scopes of local authority and Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center. Committee members of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center will perform regular monitor and control on the following seven scopes derived from TCG direction and policy:
（1）Providing channels for victims to search for help
（2）Providing emergency assistance for victims
（3）Providing follow-up supervision and assistance for victims
（4）Providing Treatment for offenders
（5）Promoting crime prevention activities
（6）Holding training for professionals
（7）Other related procedures for domestic violence and sexual assault

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. CEDAW Committee consists of 23 experts on women’s rights from around the world.

Countries who have become party to the treaty (States parties) are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights of the Convention are implemented. During its sessions the Committee considers each State party report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of concluding observations.

In accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention, the Committee is mandated to : (1) receive communications from individuals or groups of individuals submitting claims of violations of rights protected under the Convention to the Committee and (2) initiate inquiries into situations of grave or systematic violations of women’s rights. These procedures are optional and are only available where the State concerned has accepted them.

The Committee also formulates general recommendations and suggestions. General recommendations are directed to States and concern articles or themes in the Conventions.

Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO)

GREVIO is the independent expert body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) by the Parties.

GREVIO will draw up and publish reports evaluating legislative and other measures taken by the Parties to give effects to the provisions of the Convention. In cases where action is required to prevent a serious, massive or persistent pattern of any acts of violence covered by the Convention, GREVIO may initiate a special inquiry procedure. GREVIO may also adopt, where appropriate, general recommendations on themes and concepts of the Convention.

Article 66 of the Istanbul Convention governs GREVIO membership. It provides that GREVIO shall have between 10 and 15 members, depending on the number of Parties to the Convention, and shall take into account a gender and geographical balance, as well as multidisciplinary expertise in the area of human rights, gender equality, violence against women and domestic violence or in the assistance to and protection of victims. GREVIO members must be nationals of the States Parties to the Convention. Integrity, competence, independence, availability and language skills (English and/or French) are the guiding principles for the nomination and election of GREVIO members. The Convention entrusted the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to define the election procedure of the members of GREVIO.

Blijf Groep

BlijfGroep is an organization for assistance and shelter in cases of domestic violence in the Netherlands. Blijf Groep was created from a private initiative in 1974 when the first women’s shelter, the Blijf van mijn Lijf Huis, was opened in Amsterdam. Many shelters followed over the years from other private initiatives everywhere in the country. Blijf Groep has successfully campaigning against domestic violence for nearly 40 years. Our motto is that domestic violence must stop. We firmly believe that we can achieve this objective by engaging as many stakeholders as possible. Our focus is to end violence, as much as possible, in people’s own homes, using their strengths and within their own social circles. Of course, we are also available for situations in which this is not (immediately) possible.

Blijf Groep provides a range of services for victims of domestic violence in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Flevoland. We run four offices,  7 shelter facilities and a expert frontoffice. We do this with around 300 employees and about 50 volunteers. Our annual budget is approximately 17,5 million euro (excluding projects). Blijf Groep offers her services to approximately 2,5  million of the 17  million people in the Netherlands and is one of the largest organizations of its kind both in terms of size and work area. Its work area includes the capital of The Netherlands, the city of Amsterdam.

Bangladesh National Women Lawyer’s Association (BNWLA)

Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association is a lawyer’s association based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1979. Its main goal is “to create equal opportunities and equal rights for every woman and child in the country.”BNWLA promotes the rights and status of women lawyers alongside fighting for access to justice for all women & children particularly for the most disadvantaged women and children in Bangladesh.

BNWLA, as a Human Rights organization with a special focus on establishment of women & children Rights, is always appeared as a pressure group to the government & international bodies & tried to keep the realities for women & children in the public eye. It has been found that without proper policy formulation and action, it is not possible to ensure any positive changes in overall developments of women and children. Following that, BNWLA is trying to bring changes in the society and also to ensure access to justice from grassroots to national level through partnership, networking and policy level advocacy. The organization followed three thematic approaches (prevention, protection & rehabilitation and reintegration) and specific strategies [1) advocacy for introduction and reform of law/policies (including research, dialogues, seminars/workshops, PIL, media, Networking, Partnership); 2) right-based prevention, protection & integration supports (including comprehensive women and child friendly packages like legal, shelter, development, psychosocial counseling & others); 3) enhancing member women lawyers’ professional capacity to act as “ Change Agents”] to resist countrywide violence against women and children & fulfill its vision “ to establish rule of law with gender equality”.

Cambodia Women’s Crisis Center (CWCC)

Cambodian Women’s Crisis Centre was founded and registered with the Ministry of Interior in 1997 with a simple goal; to help women help themselves.  Three women launched CWCC as a local response to a local problem, having witnessed the suffering of women and children from the consequences of war and various forms of violence against women.  With the generous support from Terre des Hommes Germany and the Netherlands they opened one small shelter in Phnom Penh, placing leaflets in local police stations, not imagining that within a few days their 25-place refuge would be filled.

Their work expanded steadily, offices opening in Banteay Meanchey in 1999 and Siem Reap in 2001 and branching out from social and emergency assistance to legal protection, community prevention and advocacy work at both the national and international level. Due to situations of violence in Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear, CWCC has opened another regional office in 2012.  Over these 15 years, CWCC has secured a reputation for providing both emergency and ongoing help for women and children, and is recognized by government, civil society and international agencies as a leading women’s organization advocating for the human rights of women and children, gender justice and the elimination of all forms of violence against women.

TWGH CEASE Crisis Centre

Commenced in 2007, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals CEASE Crisis Centre commits to provide comprehensive crisis intervention and support services to victims of sexual violence, domestic violence and family crises. Services include 24-hour hotline, immediate outreaching, short term accommodation, referral services.

CEASE Crisis Centre’s one-stop support service for victims of sexual violence is designated to assist victims, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sex orientation, to handle immediate crisis and disturbance as well as to link them to legal, medical and social service units at an early outburst for receiving proper services and preventing secondary trauma. On top of 24-hour hotline, immediate outreaching, short term accommodation, our centre also provides casework, group work and programmes to help the victims and their families overcome the trauma, re-build self-esteem and enhance resilience.

International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC) 

The International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC) is a non-profit, tax-exempt, registered public charitable trust based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The organization, founded and registered in 2001, was started as a response to Chennai’s noticeable absence of support agencies for women who are survivors of domestic abuse.

Mission

The mission is to help rebuild lives damaged by abusive family relationships and to facilitate the process of self-empowerment for women survivors of family violence.

Goals

PCVC’s overarching goal is to provide both emotional and practical support structures for women with abusive partners. To this end, PCVC is in the process of both administering and starting a number of projects aimed towards helping women report instances of violence against them, protect themselves and their children, and if they choose to, leave their partners and achieve both financial and emotional independence.

The profile of PCVC’s client group cuts across all class lines, and their problems are manifold: physical beatings, economic and emotional manipulation, sexual violence and coercion, and acid or kerosene burns inflicted by partners or in-laws. Its goal is to provide and locate resources for women in situations of domestic violence, and to validate and respect our clients’ on-going processes of independent decision-making. The effectiveness of these initiatives is reflected in the increasing number of survivors of domestic violence who have the courage to ask for help and end the cycle of violence.

Masakaane

The Women’s Net Masakaane was founded in Muroran City, Hokkaido, Japan in 1997. It has run a shelter and a transitional home for abused and battered women and their children as well as providing advice and counsel services to these women. It also runs an educational project for children of these women. Apart from services for abused women and their children, it has conducted the domestic violence prevention programmes for the local communities and people including students, giving a number of lectures.

All Japan Women’s Shelter Network

There are more than 110 NGOs that support DV and sexual violence victims across the country. All Japan Women’s Shelters Network is a national network as an umbrella of 70 NGO shelters in Japan. The network was established in 1998.

Activities:

•  Annual national conference of DV advocates
•  Providing interest free loans for victims
•  Providing training programs for social workers
•  Policy recommendation and lobbying
•  Hotline service
•  Advocacy through internet radio, book, DVDs, etc.

All Japan Women’s Shelter creates synergy by galvanizing the efforts of local women’s organizations to promote needed changes in the Anti-Domestic Violent Prevention Act. Furthermore, the network provides mutual support and sharing of strategies.

Our final goal is eliminating all forms violence toward women and children; hence, we focus on domestic violence, rape, sexual exploitation, and sexual harassment. We organize the regular conference since 1998, inviting frontline social workers and experts to share their policies and implementation strategies/practices.

Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)

When Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) (www.wao.org.my) opened Malaysia’s first Refuge/Shelter for battered women and their children in 1982, WAO addressed how we provided services in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysia. By the late 90s, Malaysia was receiving many migrant domestic workers from Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and South Asia and an influx of refugees including women asylum seekers from Myanmar, Iraq, Iran to name a few. Aside from asylum seekers and refugees Malaysia also is “home” to over 40,000 stateless persons. WAO rose to meet the challenge to meet the needs of women who among the population of concern had one thing in common – abuse/domestic violence and lack of support including being viewed as “illegals”.

Vision

To create a society that is free of violence against women

Mission

To promote and create respect, protection and fulfillment of equal rights for women. To work towards the elimination of discrimination against women, and to bring about equality between women and men.

Philosophy

The fundamental belief of Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) is that no one deserves to be battered. We believe that all human beings have the right to self-determination and should have control over the conditions that shape their lives. 

Objectives

• To provide on request to women and their children suffering from mental, physical and sexual abuse, temporary refuge services that empower and enable them to determine their own future.
• To offer emotional and social support to any women who request for it, resident or otherwise, and offer support and after-care.
• To undertake and advocate with government and non-government organisations the eradication of factors that contribute to the inequality and subordination of women through law, policy and institutional reforms.

National Center Against Violence (NCAV), Mongolia

• Our Vision: National Center Against Violence (NCAV) works to eliminate gender-based violence and create a safe environment. Through the use of community development and engagement, NCAV aims to hold the State accountable for the delivery of safe and equitable support services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
• Our Mission: To protect everyone’s right to a safe and independent life.

NCAV is a pioneer non-governmental organization in Mongolia which works towards elimination of domestic violence and sexual abuse against women and children. NCAV, established in 1995, has been consistently working for 22 years on these issues at nationwide while specializing in the field. NCAV combines advocacy and direct services which include psychological counseling, legal assistance, shelter services and hot-line services to survivors and victims in response to their immediate needs. Since its establishment, NCAV has provided direct services to over 19700 clients in unduplicated number.

For the last 5 years, NCAV has provided best practices and approaches for the Working Groups of the Government and State Great Khural (Parliament) to develop amendments to Law to Combat Domestic Violence (LCDV) and other related laws. As a result of NCAV’s consistent advocacy on comprehensive legal framework, revised LCDV was approved in December, 2016.

As a coordinator of 16 Day campaign to end gender-based violence against women and girls, we provide a key coordination for the initiatives and efforts by the government agencies, other NGOs, private sectors and individuals who joined this campaign.

APEIRON

Apeiron works with the comprehensive approach to end the gender inequality in the society by working with the communities and partnering with local groups. Our expansive regional reach, a strong network of partners and experience in the field enables us to implement a targeted range of strategies to address the underlying causes of gender inequality. The four main areas of intervention of Apeiron are; GBV prevention and response, Income Generation, Awareness and education support and Institutional collaboration.

In 2007, we founded CASA Nepal, a safe house in Kathmandu for women and their children escaping GBV. Women began arriving from far-flung districts of Nepal to receive personalized psychosocial support, empowerment, and skills trainings in a residential group setting. Apeiron has run CASANepal since then, expanding our support to up to 60 women and children per year.

Apeiron is also a proud member of Girls Not Brides International and Asian Network of Women’s Shelters.

Saathi

Saathi, being the pioneering organization to address the contemporary challenges being faced by Nepali women, is also the first organization to open the shelter in Nepal in 1995 for the survivors of domestic violence, so the shelters are the CORE PROGRAM of Saathi. Saathi has been running three women and girls shelters and a drop-in center from 1995. The shelters are located in Kathmandu, Banke (in the Mid-West Region of Nepal), Kapilvastu near Lumbini (the birth place of Lord Buddha) and a drop-in center in Kanchanpur (in the Southwest of Nepal).

Saathi also has been running five children’s shelters since 2001 and these shelters are all located in Kathmandu. Altogether there are 190 children living in these shelters.

Saathi will be celebrating its SILVER JUBILEE in December 2017. It has been a challenging but gratifying journey of Saving Lives, Creating Opportunities and Promoting Gender Equality and Peace.

Vision

The empowerment of women and children through the promotion of gender equity and equality based development.

Mission

• To work towards eliminating injustice and violence against women and children in Nepal.
• To provide support to children and women survivors/victims through residential facility (shelter) and empowerment program.
• To conduct research to identify social issues concerning women and children in the urban and rural area of Nepal.
• To build the capacity of women and children for empowerment and sustenance.
• To advocate/lobby for the formulation, development and implementation of national plans and policies to improve the present status of Nepal women and children.

To work for the advancement of communities particularly women and children through community development and social mobilization initiatives.

Star Shelter

The Star Shelter is a registered charity with IPC status and has been in operation since March 1999.  It is the only non-religious based crisis shelter in Singapore.

Star Shelter is a temporary refuge for women and their children who are survivors of family violence.  It is a place where they can heal from the trauma of abuse and be empowered to rebuild their lives free from violence.

We take a holistic approach in helping our residents, providing them with basic needs such as safe accommodation, food and clothing; helping them with their practical needs through case management and meeting their emotional needs through therapeutic programmes such as counselling, art therapy and group work.

The shelter works collaboratively with social workers from Family Service Centres to provide case management for residents such as job matching, child care arrangements, application for Personal Protection Order, securing future housing, providing legal advice through our free legal clinics and so on.

Through the Rebuild Program, we also provide financial aid to assist residents to pay for transport expenses and phone card top-up while looking for employment; as well as home set-up loan which enables survivors to purchase basic furniture and appliances for a new home.

Residents are referred to the shelter by social workers from Family Service Centres, Family Court, the Police, hospitals and other Social Service Agencies.

Adult Protective Service (APS), Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Singapore

We Are Professionals With Passion For People.

MSF develops the “heartware” for Singapore through our policies, community infrastructure, programmes and services. Our mission is to nurture a resilient and caring society that can overcome challenges together. Previously known as the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the Ministry was officially restructured on 1 November 2012.

Singapore Council of Women’s Organization (SCWO)

The Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) is the National Coordinating body of women’s organisations in Singapore.  Our 60 Member Organisations represent more than 500,000 women in Singapore. Incorporated in March 1980, the SCWO having been founded by women, seeks to unite the various women’s organisations, clubs, committees, groups and women leaders together, working in accordance with its various aims and objectives.

The Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations seeks to co-ordinate these associations into a national movement and to act on their behalf in matters for which it is authorised by its members. It seeks to promote the ideals of `Equal Space, Equal Voice and Equal Worth’ for women in Singapore.

Services

The SCWO offer a range of services mostly for women in need. They are the Star Shelter, the Maintenance Support Central, Legal Clinics, IT Hub, New2U Thrift Shop, Function Rooms, Library and a Café.

Initiatives

The SCWO has various initiatives for women – to provide a platform for mentorship, network through Women’s Register (WR) and bring awareness to the benefits of gender balanced business through BoardAgender. It also celebrates the achievements of women through the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.

Casa Rauda Women Home

Casa Raudha means a place of tranquility. Since its inception in 2008, Casa Raudha Women Home (Casa Raudha) remains steadfast to its vision of promoting positive change and new beginnings for mistreated women.

Located inconspicuously within a residential neighbourhood, Casa Raudha is a welcoming and peaceful place that is safe for women and their children who experienced violence and/or those who have lost roof over their heads due to poverty. Casa Raudha is a crisis shelter that embraces cultural diversity, supporting women and children of all nationality, race and religion.

The shelter ensures that its residents’ basic needs are met e.g. food and accommodation. This gives the women especially the mothers less worry and so that she can focus on overcoming the trauma and making plans to move forward while the children continue their school with minimal / zero disruption.

Not just a mere shelter, Casa Raudha is a Home that provides opportunity for women and their children who wants to make a difference to their lives. Working closely with partners, Casa Raudha continues to be the bridge that connects its residents to the community and engaged them positively to bring about change in their life.

Family Care Centre

A community service of Singapore Anglican Community Services, our crisis shelter was first started at Whampoa Care Centre in 1986 and has since moved to its current location of a larger capacity at in 2009 and renamed Family Care Centre.

One amongst 3 other women shelters in Singapore, the shelter serves primarily women and children of family violence who are in need of temporary respite and accommodation. To date, we have provided refuge and support to more than 3000 families in crisis.

Our mission

We are committed to journey our clients through their crisis by providing them with the practical and emotional support they need and in empowering and equipping their independence and resilience. As a body of Christ, we seek to reach out to them in love, service and fellowship.

Our services

Our team of dedicated staff, primarily the social workers and caseworkers, takes care of the clients’ needs and networks actively with the community partners to garner resources and support for them.

We are also blessed to have our Parish Church, St Peter’s Church, to provide us with their spiritual covering and support.  The church, together with other volunteers, brought in programmes and activities for the residents. Amongst which includes tuition and reading programme, psycho-educational programmes, sports, recreation and outings.

The centre has 24 family rooms, 3 dormitories and 6 pantries to cater for residents who cook.  It has the capacity to house 90 residents and there are play areas for children and a community hall for fellowship, dining and events.

Casa Vida

CASA VIDA opened in 2008 and has welcomed 153 girls victims of abuse, including 45 young pregnant girls, through its doors.

Some of those girls have been returned home to a safe environment, others stay long-term for further support and training, or until relocation is possible when home remains unsafe.

CASA VIDA exists as a special support home to create and guarantee specialized assistance for young girls between the ages 0 and 18 years, who have come from a situation of sexual violence and have been referred by the Ministry of Social Solidarity or other similar bodies.

The training programs in CASA VIDA aims to help young girls in crisis situations to become healthy, happy, well-adjusted, educated and skilled.

OUR VISION

“To promote the right of life, protection and citizenship guaranteed by RDTL Constitution and Convention on the Rights of the Child in Timor Leste”.

OUR MISSION

“To provide child victims of sexual abuse a place of security where they can receive care for their physical, mental, social and spiritual needs; facilitating their return in complete health/wellness, to families and communities with a restored self-confidence and self-esteem”.

Hagar Vietnam

Hagar International was established in 1994 with program offices in Cambodia, Afghanistan and Vietnam. Hagar works intensively as an expert in care and recovery to ensure high quality, culturally appropriate trauma-informed services to heal those affected by severe trauma as a result of human trafficking, slavery and abuse. It provides direct support to women and children survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual abuse, through comprehensive and individualized services including: shelter, healthcare, legal aid, psychological counseling, education, economic empowerment, among other things.

It is also developing research, leading advocacy and building the capacity of organizations to strengthen services and to help bring about the systemic changes needed to combat trafficking, slavery and abuse. Hagar believes that with the right supports and capabilities people can recover and take the lead in their own journey to wholeness.

Mission

Hagar is a global organization, registered in Switzerland that operates commercial and non-profit entities and engages in private and public sector partnerships in pursuit of its mission to restore women and children who suffer extreme human rights abuse to life in all its fullness.

SAWERA

SAWERA is women leading NGO working in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas in particular and in KP in general.

SAWERA is a voluntary not-for-profit organization dedicated to social & economic development with due regard for gender mainstreaming and social protection, specially focusing the backward areas & marginalized portion of the communities like women and children. The founding members have got rich experience in social engineering, participatory development, disaster management, gender mainstreaming and poverty alleviation initiatives through resource management in a systematic approach.

SAWERA Vision

“To develop a just society based on equality, indiscrimination, honor and dignity, peace & security for all and where individual are respected without status, tribe, ethnicity or religion”.

SAWERA Mission

“To help sustain grass roots institution and enable them to undertake their own development through effective institutional development and livelihood strategies”.

Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS)

The Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS) was founded in 2009 and is an active and rapidly evolving global network.

Vision

An equal world where women and their children live free from violence.

Purpose

To unite the women’s shelter movement globally to end violence against women and their children.

Goals

• To be a strong and active global network with a recognized international voice.
• To ensure global awareness of violence against women and their children.
• To support and strengthen the women’s shelter movement.
• To promote effective policies and their implementation in order to prevent violence and protect and empower women and their children.
• To promote social change that ends violence and oppression against women and their children.

 

The Garden of Hope Foundation

The Garden of Hope Foundation is a non-government, non-profit group established in 1988 to help disadvantaged girls and young women, especially girls caught in the sex industry, survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence, and survivors of human trafficking. Many of our clients have been subjected to more than one form of abuse

From one halfway house, our services have grown to include shelters and service centers island-wide providing everything from counseling and temporary housing, to employment training, social work and legal aid. Our latest phase of development helps women “go the second mile” with job training, housing aid and emotional support after they leave the shelter.

Vision

• A world free of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and domestic violence.

Goal

• Relieve and rehabilitate misfortune children, youths, women and their families.
• Promote gender justice, and advocate for social and educational reform.
• Empowering girls and young women so that they can realize their full potential and take charge of their lives.

Services

Shelter Services

As of 2016, we have 17 shelters in 12 cities and counties. The shelters house domestic violence survivors and their children, teenage girls and female migrant workers. The teenage girls’ shelters house teenage survivors of domestic and sexual violence, child sexual exploitation survivors, and teenage pregnancy cases. The female migrant workers’ shelter houses survivors of improper treatment, sexual assault, labor disputes and sexual/labor exploitation or human trafficking. Services include healthcare, job matching, legal aid, and repatriation.

Services for Domestic Violence Survivors

Our professional social workers work with domestic violence and intimate partner violence (including date violence) survivors and their children. We divide our services into three categories: crisis, post-violence, and capacity building. Crisis services include emergency rescue, shelter arrangement and security management; post-violence services include counseling, legal consultation, and economic support; capacity building services include job matching, legal aid, parent-child groups, transitional housing, financial management, and a variety of domestic violence prevention programs.

Court Service Stations

The Garden of Hope has been monitoring the criminal justice system and advocating for a gender-friendly judiciary for many years. Starting in 2003, we set up several court service stations to provide consultations, emotional support, services to accompany clients to court, and referral services for domestic/sexual violence survivors and family case clients. These services help clients and their children to go through long and painful judicial processes. To protect the best interests of children in custody or visitation cases, some stations provide supervised visits to help children maintain contact with non-cohabiting parents.

Services for Sexual Assault Survivors

The Garden of Hope provides services for sexual assault survivors, including legal consultations, counseling, interpersonal relationship development, and family counseling in cooperation with local governments. We are also involved in amending the Sexual Assault Prevention Act and conducting research on consensual sex between minors (the so-called “Romeo and Juliet” law) to compare Taiwanese law with Japan, the USA and Sweden.

Dandelion Counseling Centers

Dandelion Counseling Centers are the first of their kind in Taiwan to provide specialist professional services for sexual assault survivors. The Centers also offer services for survivors of other forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence and sexual exploitation, and child witnesses to violence.

Services for Sexually Exploited Teenagers and Children

The Garden of Hope empowers teenagers and children who have survived sexual exploitation to return to their communities. We provide school registration assistance, job matching, and life capacity building to help them adjust to normal life.

Teenage Pregnancy Services

The Garden of Hope offers prevention programs, telephone counseling and online interventions to teenage pregnant girls and teenage parents. The programs help them to fully realize their human rights, raise their self-esteem and to be responsible and functional parents.