Safety is a Basic Human Right & the Foundation of Health
By Francine M. Scoboria, Communications Coordinator at Safe Berks
For many of us, eating a healthy and nutritious diet and exercising several times a week is a difficult challenge. We are busy people – working, driving our children to band practice and basketball games, washing dishes, folding laundry, paying bills…the list of tasks goes on and on.
But imagine, just for a few minutes, that you live in a house with someone you fear. Imagine someone in your house hits you, or threatens to kill you, or abuses or threatens your beloved children.
Some days, maybe things go pretty well. But you can never be sure what will happen next. Always, that uncertainty, that fear, fills your heart and your mind. What will set him off? Will you and your children suffer today? Will you live to see tomorrow?
For people living with the trauma of domestic violence, planning healthy meals and finding time to exercise might seem like luxuries they cannot afford. Survival takes precedence over healthy living.
Safety is a basic human right. On Dec. 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This historic document is the first international agreement on basic principles of human rights.
Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” Article 5 states, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Safety is the foundation of health. Without a safe living environment, it is extremely challenging, if not impossible, for a person to focus on other aspects of healthy living, economic success, and personal fulfilment.
In 1943, Abraham Maslow proposed a theory in psychology now commonly referred to as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” The lowest level of the pyramid is filled with most basic human needs, such as food, water, sleep and shelter. The next step on Maslow’s pyramid is the need for safety and security.
Moving up the pyramid are the needs for social belonging, for esteem, and eventually, at the top of the pyramid, the more complex needs for self-actualization and transcendence. Maslow’s premise still resonates today; that humans need to meet our more basic needs before we can move our focus to our more complex needs.
We all multi-task. However, if you are starving or freezing cold, you will need to deal with those issues before you can focus on improving your tennis game, perfecting your mushroom risotto recipe, or organizing your drawers and closets.
If you live in fear of chronic abuse inside your home, that lack of security will make it almost impossible to focus on healthy cooking and exercise. That fear and lack of security will also likely sabotage your efforts to increase your education, to advance your career, and to face the many other complicated challenges of our modern lives.
Safety is a basic human right. No one should be abused, assaulted, or threatened, ever. Safety is the foundation of health.
Safe Berks is here to help.
Safe Berks, located in Reading, PA, offers free, confidential services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. These services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English, Spanish, or any other language needed.
Our services include a Safe House for up to 50 adults and children who are in danger, a 24-hour Hotline, trauma-informed counseling, legal services and advocacy, and educational and outreach programs. We also offer transitional housing for up to 25 people.
Last year, Safe Berks served more than 4,000 clients. Our Safe House provided a haven to more than 800 people last year, including 400 children. Anyone in danger can call our 24-hour Hotline, 844-789-SAFE, or text SAFE BERKS to 20121.
Safe Berks staff are extremely grateful to the many generous donors and volunteers who help us provide these free services each day. The residents of the Safe House benefit from the many volunteer groups who visit to cook nutritious and delicious meals. Families and other groups are welcome to schedule an evening to cook, Monday through Thursday. To schedule a date to cook, please contact Mindy McIntosh, Director of Development, at 484-869-5293 or [email protected].
Creativity is encouraged! Dinners have included taco night, shepherd’s pie, chicken parmesan and spaghetti, meat loaf, macaroni and cheese, salads, wraps, green bean casserole, and peaches with vanilla ice cream. The variety of foods, and the warmth and kindness of the volunteer cooks nurture the bodies and the hearts of Safe Berks residents.
For those who would like to volunteer to serve clients directly, by answering hotline calls, helping at the Front Desk, reading to children, or helping in many other ways, Safe Berks offers a 66-hour training course. To register to attend this training, contact Jennifer Ebersole, Director of Education and Outreach, at [email protected] or 610- 370-7811.
Individuals and community groups are welcome to contact Safe Berks to donate, volunteer, learn more about our work, and help us end abuse. For more information, email [email protected], call 610-373-1206, or visit our website at www.SafeBerks.org.
Safe Berks was founded in 1976 as Berks Women in Crisis. In 2016, as we celebrated our 40th anniversary, we announced our new name: Safe Berks. We wanted to make it very clear that we serve all individuals affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.
Our name is also our goal. We want to create a safe community; we want to build a Safe Berks. To create a Safe Berks, we need every member of our community to work together and speak out against abuse.
Together we can build a Safe Berks!
Safe Berks provides a safe haven and ongoing support system for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Our advocacy and education programs increase awareness and promote the prevention of domestic violence, sexual assault, and all forms of oppression.
