SEEN

Guidance Line – SEEN

SEEN’s Social Support Hotline, dedicated to gender and sexual equity, is grounded in a firm belief that access to psychological, health, social, and humanitarian support is a fundamental right and an integral part of individual empowerment and the protection of human dignity. This belief stems from our direct experience and our deep understanding of the critical importance of safe spaces that enable women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of diverse identities and social positions to consciously navigate the protection risks they may face in their daily lives.

For SEEN, safety is not limited to physical spaces—especially in sensitive and complex contexts such as Syria and Southwest Asia—but also extends to digital and emotional spaces. These spaces allow individuals to express themselves, share concerns, and seek support without fear of stigma, exposure, or threat.

What Is the Social Support Hotline?

The Social Support Hotline was established as part of SEEN’s Protection Program as a safe and interactive space that serves as a humane and professional link between LGBTQ+ communities, women, the broader community, and anyone in need of immediate support or reliable information.

The hotline works to:

• Provide initial psychosocial support through active listening
• Offer guidance and information related to protection, health, and available services
• Ensure safe referrals to locally and regionally available services within civil society networks
  

Through our networks and partnerships, we continuously work to expand access to essential services—such as advanced protection interventions, legal representation, and safe medical services. We recognize that this process requires sustained effort, in-depth protection risk analysis, and adequate resources, particularly in light of the transitional situation in Syria and other regional contexts where we operate.

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How Does the Hotline Operate?

The Social Support Hotline operates daily for seven hours and is staffed by a team of trained counselors who provide immediate responses based on:The team’s work is guided by clear principles: protection, confidentiality, empowerment, and solidarity.

• Gender-sensitive approaches
• Awareness of the social and political dimensions of identity
• Understanding experiences of violence, marginalization, and risk
• Active listening and solidarity-based engagement

‍Note: The hotline is not limited to functioning as a referral mechanism or an emergency response tool. It is a solidarity-based space grounded in knowledge and mutual support, enabling individuals to speak freely, share their experiences, and receive psychosocial support in an environment that respects privacy and seeks to rebuild trust.

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What Can You Expect From Our Counselors?

Guidance, Referral, and Specialized Support

• Counseling and guidance
• Referral to specialized psychological, social, legal, or medical services
• Working within safe and trusted referral networks that prioritize confidentiality and privacy

The hotline also provides specialized consultations in sexual and reproductive health, including accurate and up-to-date information on:

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Testing and treatment options
• Pregnancy and pre- and postnatal care
• Abortion and safe abortion methods
• Prevention and contraception methods

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Emergency Response in Coordination With the Protection Department

In emergency situations, the hotline plays a key role in rapid response and preventive intervention through the following process:

Case intake → risk level analysis → direct referral to the Protection Department

The Protection Department’s specialists then follow up on cases and provide appropriate psychosocial, social, and legal support as needed

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A Hotline or Social Accompaniment?

The hotline is a space of mutual social support that focuses on:

• Community empowerment
• Solidarity
• Resisting self-alienation

This is achieved through raising awareness on psychosocial and digital protection issues and fostering a culture of accompaniment as a collective act and a form of everyday resistance to violence and marginalization.

From this perspective, the Guidance Hotline becomes an extended community space that redefines protection as shared care, mutual responsibility, and continuous listening.

How Can You Become a Counselor With Our Team?

Applications to join the team of counselors for SEEN’s Social Support Hotline open periodically through specialized training programs launched to welcome new, qualified counselors capable of providing guidance and support in line with the organization’s protection and confidentiality standards.

This pathway is based on a solid and comprehensive learning and development process, including knowledge empowerment, practical skill-building, and applied training. It incorporates group discussions, experiential learning, and role-playing to ensure that trainees are fully prepared to handle real-life cases with sensitivity and responsibility.

To stay informed about upcoming training calls and opportunities to join the counseling team, we encourage interested individuals to subscribe to SEEN’s newsletter, where announcements and calls for counselors are shared on a rolling basis

Support the Social Guidance Line

You can help sustain counselor shifts and ensure continued access to support by contributing through donations.

Cover the cost of guidance line shifts through a donation For communication or further inquiries, please contact SEEN’s Protection Programme directly via email at: protection.lead@seenforequity.org

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