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Programmes

"Domestic violence is most common among women aged 18-34"

The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre (CICC) is a non-profit organization established in early 2003. CICC held its opening ceremony on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2003. The CICC provides the country’s only Emergency Shelter for female victims of domestic violence and their children, 24-hour Crisis Line (#943-2422), assistance to all victims of abuse, ongoing support to former shelter clients, teen and young adults’ afterschool programme for at-risk youth, helpline for children, a walk-in centre for all victims of domestic violence, community education and ongoing support and services.

Our Programmes and Services:

24 Hour Crisis Line 943-2422

Our 24/7 confidential crisis line is dedicated to responding to issues of domestic violence and serves as the primary contact for persons seeking crisis counselling and guidance as well as access to safe shelter. This number is available to all persons in the community including women, men, and children.

If you are being hurt by your partner, or you suspect someone you know is, call this number. We will look after you from there.

Emergency Shelter

Victims of domestic violence in the Cayman Islands have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week access to our Emergency Shelter. In our four-bedroom facility we can provide housing for up to 26 women and children at one time.

Various services are available to our shelter residents:

  • Case management
  • Risk assessments
  • Safety planning
  • Individual and group counselling and psychoeducational sessions
  • Parenting education
  • Support groups
  • Resource referrals and advocacy
  • Children and Youth Programme (see below).

Our clients’ safety is our priority; therefore, the Emergency Shelter has 24-hours 7 days a week physical security and it is equipped with cameras, monitors, panic buttons and sirens.

Children and Youth Programme (CAYP)

The rationale following the Children and Youth Programme (CAYP) is to highlight and counter the effects of domestic violence on children within a nurturing and supportive environment during a critical stage of development in their lives. The purpose of the Children and Youth Programme is to provide intervention and prevention services for school aged children who either witnessed or are victims of domestic abuse. This programme focuses on safety and wellbeing of the children who accompany their mothers to the shelter. CAYP helps with anxiety; self-blame; addresses post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and promotes healthy growth and development in supportive setting. The CAYP also provides individual and group sessions geared towards enhancing self-esteem and safety, teaches non-violent social skills and increases knowledge about child abuse and prevention for mothers.

Estella’s Place

As our ultimate goal is to eradicate domestic violence from the Cayman Islands, we wanted to be accessible to everyone in the community, do more preventive work, strengthen our relationship with other agencies and organizations and to work directly with youth to positively affect future generations. Opened in 2017 our walk-in centre Estella’s Place was named after our first Executive Director, Estella’s Scott-Roberts. Estella’s Place is accessible to male victims of domestic violence and female victims who do not need safe shelter but would like to access our programmes and services, to children and their parents, teenagers, and young adults. It is a place where we can address the growing need for a centre for at-risk youth, and to involve in the healing process of our clients their support system. Estella’s Place also allows us to include in our services and strengthen collaboration with other agencies and service providers.

At Estella’s Place, we offer to our walk-in clients:

  • Case management
  • Risk assessments
  • Safety planning
  • Individual sessions, and psychoeducational groups
  • Parenting education
  • Support groups
  • Resource referrals and advocacy

TAYA Lounge

Partially funded by Hedge Funds Care Cayman, TAYA (teens and young adults) Lounge is a safe place for at-risk youth ages 14-21, who either experienced or witnessed domestic violence, have difficulties with finding effective ways to conflict resolution and in addition have very few or no family members/adults to rely on. The primary purpose of TAYA Lounge is to end the generational cycle of abuse by providing safe and supportive environment and ongoing therapeutic intervention for at-risk youth and young adults after they graduate from school, after they are discharged from group care or are “aged out” from the foster care system. TAYA Lounge also provides recreational activities, and life skills development; it is a place where youth can make social and emotional connection with peers who also experienced similar challenges in their lives and build positive and supportive relationships.

To contact TAYA Lounge email: taya@cicc.ky.

Outreach Programme

The goal of this programme is to prevent domestic violence by raising awareness and providing information and prevention education on the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, the effects of domestic abuse on children, child abuse prevention and healthy relationships to public, community organizations, schools, churches, and businesses. This programme also enhances CICC’s visibility in the public eye, promotes and improves access to our services as well as to other service providers.

Aftercare Programme

The aim of the Aftercare Programme is to provide follow up care to former Emergency Shelter clients, who have been victims of domestic abuse and/or sexual assault and are starting their lives free from violence. The purpose of this programme is to provide a continuum of support after clients leave the shelter and identify and reduce risk factors surrounding violence and poverty. The Aftercare Programme is designed to assist women and their children with crisis counselling; monthly psychological and educational support groups; referral services; housing; employment; parenting skills, and in-kind donations.

Kids Helpline 649-5437

Established in 2017 and since 2021 in cooperation with Alex Panton Foundation, the Kids Helpline is a support service offered to all children and young people in the Cayman Islands. The core principle of the Kids Helpline is the safeguarding and protection of children. Kids Helpline enables children and young people to contact someone for support which may include an emergency. It provides children and young people with an opportunity to express their concerns and talk about the issues directly affecting them. Kids Helpline in Cayman is founded on the belief that children and young people have rights, and that they themselves can best identify their problems if they are equipped with the proper tools.

Do you need someone to talk to?

Are you having trouble at home or school and don’t know where to turn?  

Do you feel like no one understands how you feel or what you are going through?

Contact the Cayman Kids Helpline 649-KIDS (5437) 

At the Kids helpline, we will…

  • Respect your questions and concerns
  • Listen to you and give you the opportunity to be heard and tell your situation
  • Keep our conversation private, however depending on your situation, we might need to reach out to our partner agencies to provide the appropriate support for you
  • Help point you in the right direction and provide you with resources you need to get further assistance

About the Kids Helpline

  • Private
  • Safeguard and protecting your rights
  • Free to call phone line
  • Professionally trained staff and volunteers
  • Provides support to you until you are in a safe situation
  • Service available throughout all three islands
  • Any child or young adult up to 18 years old can contact the help line

The Kids Helpline is open from 10:00am – 6:00pm Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours call 911 or our 24/7 crisis line 943-2422.

Volunteer Programmes

CICC could not provide all the programmes and services to our community without the dedicated team of volunteers. Our volunteers help us with various tasks:

  • Answering Crisis Calls (training provided)
  • Answering Kids Helpline Calls (training provided)
  • Fundraising Committee (meets once a month, organizes 6-9 events annually)
  • TAYA Lounge (assisting TAYA Lounge Coordinator working with at-risk youth; 1-year commitment, minimum 4 hours per week; between 3pm-8pm)
  • Occasionally staffing our Shelter (training provided)
  • Helping at the warehouse: collecting, organizing, distributing donations
  • Admin work, filing, running errands
  • Grocery shopping
  • Assisting with various events/field work

Volunteers, we need you! Contact us by emailing: volunteer@cicc.ky

To become the CICC volunteer, please complete and return to us:

Statistics

  • 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner
  • Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime
  • 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence
  • Domestic violence is most common among women aged 18-34
  • Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior
  • 1 in 3 female murder victims and 1 in 20 male murder victims are killed by intimate partners
  • 65% of all murder-suicides are perpetrated by intimate partners
  • 94% of murder-suicide victims are female
  • 95% of men who physically abuse their intimate partners also psychologically abuse them
  • 40% of female murder victims are killed by intimate partners
  • 76% of intimate partner physical violence victims are female, 24% are male
  • Slightly more than half of intimate partner physical violence is reported to law enforcement
  • Children who witness intimate partner violence growing up are three times as likely as their peers to engage in violent behavior
  • Children raised in abusive homes learn that violence is an appropriate way to solve conflict. These children are more likely than their peers to be in abusive intimate partner relationships in the future, either as victims or perpetrators
  • Children who witness incidents of domestic violence (a form of childhood trauma) are at greater risk of serious adult health problems including obesity, cancer, heart disease, depression, substance abuse, tobacco use and unintended pregnancies than peers who did not witness domestic violence

Source: NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)

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