Press release, 12.06.2015

Today the activist of YABLOKO Gender faction and the representatives of the Sisters Centre, a welfare NGO that provides support to sexual violence victims, brought more than 43 500 signatures for preservation of the centre to the Social Security Department.

Deputy Chair of YABLOKO Gender faction Olga Radayeva initiated the signatures collection.
For 20 years the experts of the Sisters Centre have provided psychological support to those who went through sexual violence. Today the centre is on verge of survival. For half a year the centre has had no money to pay the rent, for the last time the centre managed to pay for the hotline telephone by spreading the word in social networks. The employees of the centre provide consultative and physiological support free of charge.

The psychologist of the Sisters Centre Olga Yurkova said that they managed to provide support to a large number of women who went through sexual violence during the work of the centre. “I think it is vital to support women who faced violence. Moreover, their health is connected with children’s health. If a woman went through violence the trauma will remain until the rest of her life, one cannot go through it calmly,” she said.

Very different people call us: children, teenagers, men and women who went through violence. “All of them get support in the best of our ability,” explained Yurkova.

Olga Radayeva emphasized the the centre is unique in Russia. “It is the only centre that deals with sexual violence problems and provides support to the victims. The centre has a hotline and their own methods of help. The centre conducts trainings for psychologists of different ministries and departments. The population care is one of the functions of a normal democratic state but our state doesn’t want to do it,” she noted.

Olga Radayeva also added that the signatures will be brought to the Mayor’s office, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and Healthcare Ministry.

“We hope that our voice will be heard and and will be able to save the centre,” said head of the Sisters Centre Maria Mokhova.

The rape falls under a grave crime and an extremely grievous crime category. The damage is done to both psychological and physical health of the victim.

The collection of signatures continues
The petition calls to provide budgetary support to the Sisters Centre.