The Committe sought funding from the Caribbean Conference of Churches and an initial sum was received. Part of this sum was used to engage the services of Mrs. Ann Sparks who at the time was in charge of the Crisis Centre at the St. Vincent Hospital, New York. Mrs. Sparks provided a week of training for the original members.

Subsequent to the first training couse, a Hotline service was organized. This service operated three nights per week for three hours, 6:00 - 9:00pm, at the Roman Catholic Centre, an establishment which accommodates support services of the Roman Catholic Church. The Rape Crisis Centre, however, remained non-partisan. This space was provided by the Catholic Church free of rental. This completed phase one of the projected plans of the Rape Crisis Centre. Phase two became operational in August 1985 with the employment of a full-time coordinator. In November of the same year a counsellor was employed and the counselling services were extended to 8:00 - 4:00pm. The Committee then concentrated on the following areas of concern:

• Face to face and group counselling which aimed to empower men, women and children out of and beyond existing conflictive and crisis circumstances, restoring levels of confidence and self-esteem to clients.
• 24 hour integrated service which would be recognised by the authorities and the community.

In 1986, the Rape Crisis Centre sought legal advice to develop a constitution and registration as a charitable organization. The constitution was adopted and the organization was legally registed in November, 1986. It was henceforth referred to as the Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

As the Society developed its program in 1989, the objectives were outlined as follows:

• To lobby for the development of laws, institutions and procedures to protect women and children and to deter would-be offenders.

• To educate the public and would-be offenders about sexual violence issues through our Outreach programmes (lectures, workshops, panel discussions, viodeos).

• To improve the quality of service and support provided by the Centre especially in the counselling of volunteers and clients.

• To maintain and establish links with organizations devoted to the empowerment and advancement of women and with other institutions concerned with social development and research.

• To improve organiational structures and systems, and the overall management of the Rape Crisis Society.

The structure of the Rape Crisis Society is guided by its constitution which demands a democratic process of election of officers annually. Elections are held at the annual General Meeting. The elected officers for 1998-1999 are:

	President:	Suzanne Hinds
	Vice President:	Pennelope Beckels
	Treasurer:	Molly Wheeler
	Secretary:	Laraine Ghouralal
	Other Members:	Curtis Assam, Erica Rose, Kenwyn Scott, Marcell Alcala, Eunice Gittens

Volunteers also play an integral part in the structure, as they interact and implement programs on behalf of the organization. Volunteers are drawn from the community of Trinidad and Tobago.

Aside from the counselling and referral services, training for our volunteers and interested persons is a priority. The main purpose is to equip volunteers with the techniques of Crisis Intervention and Human Sexuality. The Rape Crisis Society has also expanded its services to the South of Trinidad to serve the need of the national community in this area.

Our Outreach programs are meant to assist the public in understanding and dealing effectively with the issues of rape, child sexual abuse/incest, buggery, human sexuality and wife battery. The programs may take the form of a video/discussion, lectures/discussion workshops and/or interactive drama. These programs are facilitied by volunteers and staff members.

The Outreach programs have also expanded with the addition of our Community Caravan project. Community Caravan is a weekend intervention designed to stimulate community action and community programs focusing on family life and non-violent forms of behaviour. Rape Crisis Society also trains lay-counsellors in the community as part of the program.

The link between domestic violence, low self-esteem and financial dependence of a woman on her spouse has clearly been established. There inan effort to assist our clientele, the Rape Crisi Society organized and developed the Agro Processing and the Sew Shop projects. Both of these projects help women acquire marketable skills. They also participate in a Small Business Training Course which assist them in the transition from using these skills not only to assist them at home, but also the reality of using these skills for profit. These programs from their inception were opened only to women who were survivors of sexual and domestic abuse for their empowerment. However, the Society saw the need to empower all women, therefore the programs now accommodate all unemployed women who are interested in the courses offered.

All contributions assist with the continuation of our services to our people of Trinidad and Tobago, namely our counselling and Outreach programs and also the countinued training of our volunteers and staff as new issues, techniques, programs etc. arise and as demand indicate.

For more information about the organization or how you can help, please contact the Rape Crisis Society at (868) 622-7273. Their fax number is (868) 622-1079.

Rape Crisis centers are located at the following addresses: