Ruhama’s Bridge to Work programme

Operating since 1989, Ruhama has 35 years experience assisting women who have been impacted by prostitution and sexual exploitation. Initially starting out as an outreach service to women selling sex on the streets of Dublin, the organisation now provides a range of services, including one-to-one support, assistance with reporting crimes, counselling and trauma therapy, education and development and employment programmes.

Prostitution and human trafficking are exploitative, inherently violent and demeaning to women and recovery from the trauma of sexual exploitation and sexual violence is lifelong. Many of the women that come to Ruhama for support have been trafficked and may have experienced chaotic backgrounds, addiction, homelessness or domestic and sexual abuse. Most suffer from complex trauma and are in the process of rebuilding their lives and part of this process is re-entering the workforce.

That's where Kim Haugh, co-ordinator of Ruhama's Bridge to Work programme comes in. With a background in community education and the volunteer sector, Kim offers a range of supports to service-users, including one-to-one interview coaching, career planning and job searching skills sessions. She also organises a range of workshops throughout the year such as Thrive in the Workplace and Start Your Own Business. Kim recently collaborated with Microsoft and Codec who hosted a Super Skills Workshop attended by service users who were introduced to a range of Microsoft apps as well as interview skills and advice on writing emails.

Kim explains the difficulty in obtaining interviews as the main obstacle faced by service-users trying to find work. She describes the demoralisation that this causes amongst women who have already faced so much challenge in their lives as "heart-breaking, they think once they've gone through all they needed to do to exit prostitution things will fall into place but that isn't always the case." Catching service-users before they 'give up' is core to Kim's mission and she works diligently to give these women who have faced so much hardship a fighting chance in a competitive job market.

Flexibility and adaptability are key to this mission, there is huge diversity amongst the skills of the women that present to Ruhama. While some have work experience or professional degrees in their home country, others may have basic entry-level skills, but all have a strong desire to succeed and a 'can do' attitude. Women with work permits are usually seeking paid employment but need a helping hand in negotiating the intricacies of the Irish job market or adapting to Irish work culture.

At the other end of the spectrum, many are waiting for their work permits and consequently are seeking unpaid placements. These placements usually last two to three months although not remunerated, they are extremely valuable in other ways. They are vital in providing Irish work experience and references that will improve their CV and boost opportunities for further employment and accommodation. They also serve to immerse each woman in work culture and facilitate her in seeing herself as part of a team in an environment where she is not a survivor or victim but a competent, motivated individual in control of her own destiny. This rebuilding of self-confidence and reintegration into mainstream social and economic life is fundamental to recovery and Ruhama has witnessed the enormous benefits that this boost in morale provides. One service-user told us: "Bridge to Work supported me to do more and pursue my career job that I am passionate about, and 'boom': I did an interview, and it was a success, and I got a job as a Customer Service Advisor by following every step and knowledge I got from each session".

Whether possessing a work permit or not, there is no doubt that Ruhama service-users need extra supports and Kim assesses each woman to ensure that she is ready, willing and able to begin her journey into full membership of the Irish workforce. Matching each service-user with a suitable employer, she maintains a relationship with each throughout the placement, offering advice and support to both. All along the way, the woman and the employer are encouraged to check in with Kim to ensure that the placement is working to its full potential. So far, Ruhama has fostered partnerships with recruitment agencies, the hospitality sector and health and technology industries. One of our employer-partners offers the following testimonial (she remains anonymous to maintain confidentiality around the identity of the women with whom she is working):

'Working with Ruhama has been such a rewarding experience. Our company works with a few partners under our ESG pillars, but I feel that this particular partnership has touched me the most. But for the luck of when and where I was born, I could be any of these women. They are so utterly inspiring- the way they go about overcoming what they have been through and how they are rebuilding their lives.

Discretion is a cornerstone of the partnership as it is so important that the women's pathway to work ensures that they are truly tread as equals in the workplace and they can really move forward. We now have four Team Members on permanent contracts - I just cannot recommend highly enough collaborating with Ruhama. The support we receive from the Bridge to Work team has ensured that all are still with us and continue to thrive both personally and professionally. I have no doubt we have many more years working with Ruhama.'

If you or your business want to make a real difference in the life of a woman who has survived sexual exploitation, and are interested in working with Ruhama as an employer-partner contact Kim Haugh at [email protected] or call her at 0860594903.

Niamh McGarry

Communications and Policy Officer, Ruhama