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Welcome to HAVOCA
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We are a voluntary organization established to provide help, support and guidance
to adult victims of child abuse. The website has
been designed to provide a road map for the recovery process including real
stories submitted by our readers as well as advice for the long and difficult
healing journey ahead.
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Why HAVOCA?
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Increasing public awareness of child
abuse through media coverage, documentaries, films, study discussion programmes
and setting up Child Help lines throughout the world has focused attention on the
many children who suffer from the abusive behaviour of some despicable adults.
The emphasis has been justly directed towards the children and much of the
available resources are being poured into the training of social workers, mental
health professionals and police to provide effective intervention when childhood
abuse is disclosed or reported.
While the concentration of resources and focus on children is necessary and of
fundamental importance, it is sometimes ignored by both professionals and the
public that children who are currently, or until relatively recently, being
abused, will eventually grow up into adults.
Those children who have benefited from positive therapeutic intervention may
have been able to repair much of the damage resulting from child abuse so that
they are able to lead healthy and well adjusted adult lives, but those who were
not provided with positive therapeutic intervention, or who never disclosed the
secret of the abuse, may remain deeply scarred. The hidden scars of childhood
abuse may stay with these victims throughout their lives.
The scars of childhood abuse are often deeply buried, or hidden, and cannot be
seen on the surface. They often penetrate deep inside the psyche of the child
where they have the propensity to influence and direct behaviour both in the
childhood and adulthood. This often results in destructive behaviour patterns
and inhibit the survivor from being able to live a free, mentally healthy or
satisfying life. Many survivors feel permanently scarred and damaged by the
abuse, and believe themselves to be unable ever to heal from the experiences,
much less lead a happy or normal life. HAVOCA wants to challenge these
ideas and provide the help, support and guidance necessary to help victims start
their healing journey.
HAVOCA believes every Victim of abuse can become a Survivor, and every
Survivor has the ability to become a Thriver!
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Meet the Team
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HAVOCA was
founded by our Trustee Jamie Harms, a fellow survivor of childhood abuse, in
July 2001. Jamie grew up with his family in Gosport, Hampshire on the South
Coast of England. At the age of thirteen Jamie joined a local cadet unit
and loved Service life so much he joined the Royal Navy in 1990 as a
pilot. During his career he flew Sea King helicopters and Sea Harrier
jets. He has flown operationally on peace keeping missions, humanitarian
flights and enforcements of UN 'no-fly' zones. His final appointment was on
exchange with the Royal Air Force where he taught young pilots how to fly and
operate fast jets. He left the Royal Navy in 2001 to start his own
consultancy business in the South West. This is where he now lives with
his Wife and four cats! Jamie is 34 years old and has been supporting
other survivors for over ten years.
Jamie says, '
As volunteers we have no formal training in
counselling or therapy. We aim to provide
an important forum for communication so that individuals can come to terms with their past in order to look
to the future.
We strongly believe that there can be no substitute for professional aid, we
simply aim to listen and advise individuals in their search for help.
It is important that individuals feel safe here and can share their ideas
and thoughts without prejudice. HAVOCA is a resource for any adult
who's life has been touched by any type of childhood abuse or
trauma. We are here for survivors, their friends, their partners or their
parents and loved ones. Whoever you are, you are welcome to share this site and take part
in our small community.'
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Jamie
Harms
Trustee HAVOCA |
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Claudine is a 43 year old artist and photographer
residing in the USA. She put herself through college and earned a Bachelor
Degree in Art from the State University of New York at Albany in 1998. While
attending school, she worked as a Nurses Aid in Home Health Care as well as a
nursing home. After traveling throughout much of the country, she bought a home
and settled in Maryland (but at heart she's still a New Yorker). Married and the
proud parent of five cats, two dogs and a lizard, Claudine currently works in
Retail Management and is responsible for a multimillion dollar store with over a
hundred employees. She joined the HAVOCA team in 2004 as a moderator after years
of silence regarding her abusive past. Her goal is to help and support others
while on her own journey of recovery.
Claudine says, 'I found HAVOCA to be a great source of inspiration and
information in my quest to come to terms with the abuse I had suffered so many
years ago. I have also found the forums to be a consistent source of support and
encouragement. They provide a community with respect for all the individuals who
come there seeking a safe harbour. When Jamie asked me if I would assist him in
moderating the forums, I felt it was a great opportunity to repay some of the
kindness and compassion I had received.'
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Claudine
Forum Moderator
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Jane is a 35 year old mother of two living in the
UK. As well as working full time, and caring for her children, Jane also offers
her time to HAVOCA as a Moderator. Though a member of the HAVOCA support forum
since 2004 she only became a moderator in 2006. She also runs her own depression
support website and forum. As a survivor of childhood abuse, Jane recognizes the
importance of support and understanding for fellow survivors.
She says, 'I have received a lot of support and care from the members at HAVOCA
and wanted to give something back in return. It is a great community where
everyone is special and warmly welcomed.'
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Jane
Forum Moderator |
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Kelly
Moderator |
Kelly grew up in
Stoke-on-Trent with her mother and brother. Following the tragic death of her
father, Kelly decided to train as a psychologist and attended her local
university for five years. After completing a degree in psychology and a post
graduate degree in computing science, Kelly has followed a career in applied
psychology and works as a Human Factors Scientist engaged in MoD funded research
in the South West of England. She currently lives in the Cotswolds with her
husband and cat, where she enjoys photography, reading and walking.
'After struggling to understand my difficult childhood experiences for many of
my adult years, I now feel I can offer others the support and the sympathetic
ear I didn’t have during the healing process.'
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Tabby is a 33 year old
Single mum who lives in the UK. At the moment she is on leave from working with
Families in need. Amongst other things Tabby has had experience working
alongside people with depression, drug & alcohol problems, and people in
situations similar to many of those here on HAVOCA.
'I'm an honest caring person, and have got so much out of HAVOCA since joining a
short while back, so would like to give back some of the care and support that I
received. I felt worth something for the first time ever since joining and would
like to help others feel the same .
It's important to me that everyone feels they have someone there for them and I
feel HAVOCA is a great place to make that happen.
I enjoy music of any kind, reading, art, my work ,and I am a huge animal lover.
Each day has at least 1 positive and each day it is my goal to find it.' |
Tabby
New Members' Secretary |
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HAVOCA is a self funded organization
and as such all the information you find here is free. However if you can help please donate to our association so that we can continue
to promote HAVOCA
and make it more assessable to a wider audience.
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With your help we can educate
the children of yesterday so that we can protect the children of the
future. Thank you.
Trustee:J G Harms
email: trustee@havoca.org
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