Project worker - Saranja Vanoverschelde

When I first started my job at Oasis Belgium I wasn’t expecting a health crisis in 2020 where everyone was forced to stay at home.

On Friday the 13th of March the lockdown due to the coronavirus in Belgium was invoked. A few days before the official lockdown our team already decided it wasn’t safe anymore to head to the office or meet people.

Two and a half months we have been working from home. By email or telephone we’ve tried our very best to support all the women out there. This hasn’t always been quite easy.

During the lockdown it has been very hard on women victims of violence. They may be protected against the coronavirus, but they were locked inside the house with their abuser.

One case of ours needed our support urgently. She needed to leave her violent husband and we helped her to do this from a distance. We connected her with the CAW (Center for general wellbeing). Everything worked out and she received a shelter. This was difficult, because almost all of the shelters in Belgium were full. We provided interpreting in our online meetings with her lawyer. Through the whole journey we made sure she understood her rights and the legal process. Until this moment she’s safe in a safehouse with her kid. The legal proces for a divorce and custody of her child is still in progress.

Another woman we’ve been supporting for quite some time needed immediate help. One night she called us, because her partner was being aggressive towards her. We didn’t hesitate and called the police. The language barrière and the fear made it difficult for her to call the police by herself. When the police arrived at the scene, they ordered the partner to leave the house. At this moment she’s still living with her partner. She claims they have ups and downs and that he’ll be better. Did you know it takes approximately 7 attempts for victims to be able to leave their abusive partner?

Another woman who we have been following up for years moved back in with her abusive (ex)-husband during the coronavirus. It was easier for the kids to see their father on a daily basis. It took this woman 3 years to seek help. She reached out to us when she was pregnant with her second child. This man would beat her when the dinner wasn’t as good as he expected. Luckily this same man didn’t lay hands on her during the lockdown when she moved back in with the children. We can’t judge or understand what victims of violence go through. People may not understand why she has moved back in. We talk on a regular basis to make sure she’s doing alright.

Until this day we’re still supporting all these women. We’re helping them with legal advise, mental support and referrals to other services. Like I mentioned before, the lockdown hasn’t made anything easy for women victims of violence.

Our work is slowly going back to how it was before the lockdown. Soon we’ll be out on the road again to see these women in person. It will take babysteps, but eventually we’ll get there.