The church, a safe place
The church should be a safe place, a shelter that provides love and security to everyone, men and women, boys and girls, young and old. Unfortunately, this safety couldn’t be taken for granted, sexual abuse took place within church relationships worldwide; sometimes this is obvious, sometimes more subtle by a comment or a touch that crosses your boundary.
Preventing Sexual Abuse in Church Relationships
Sexual abuse in ecclesiastical relationships is a difficult subject, yet we to discuss this at ICF-Rotterdam. Therefor ICF-Rotterdam had deceided to appoint a confidential counselor. The confidential counselor pays disusses the need for prevention of sexual abuse within church relationships and pays attention to signals of sexual abuse within the church relationships. The confidential counselor can be contacted in case someone needs a confidential conversation about sexual abuse within the church relationships. The counselor discusses with the church council what we can do as a church to prevent abuse . She is advised by a professional organisation “meldpunt misbruik”. The churchcounsil of ICF-Rotterdam has made guidelines to prevent abuse.
Confidential counselor ICF Rotterdam
Within ICF Rotterdam, Wilma van der Ham-Arage is a confidential counselor, you can contact her during the church service, by e-mail (wilmavanderham@live.nl) or by telephone (0623575710)
By appointing the confidential counselor, ICF Rotterdam wants to express that the congregation of Christ should be a safe place for men and women, boys and girls. The counselor is advised by the professionals of “meldpunt misbruik” and refers them to them if necessary.