16 Ideas for Helping Survivors of Violence Against Women Rebuild Their Lives

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Crystal Smith

There is no single definitive solution for rebuilding one’s life as a survivor of gender-based violence because the personal journey to healing varies for each individual woman or girl. Though many have suffered these experiences, the conduit to recovery is a unique one. Every woman or girl reacts and processes her experience of violence differently; every individual heals and comes to terms with post-trauma at their own pace. In addition, the way each survivor deals with her trauma depends on the culture she is in, the community of which she is a member, and the resources to which she has access.

Although recovery is complicated, frustrating and long-term process that is always a work-in-progress, building a new life is not impossible for many survivors. In this article, we list out a number of actions and starting points that may be able to help clear a pathway to healing and make it a little easier for survivors and the network of potential supporters around them (e.g. friends, family, community) who are also often at a loss as to how to help ease their pain and be there for them on their journey. Together, both survivors and their supporters can work through the healing process and deal effectively with the traumatic experience.

We have divided our ideas/tips into a section for communities and a section for survivors themselves. These suggestions are by no means comprehensive but we hope they will not only help with kickstarting the healing process for some survivors and their supporters, but also awareness that we can all help improve upon the how individuals and communities can mitigate and work their way through after-effects of traumatic experiences such as domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, and female genital mutilation.

NOTE: This article is a companion article to last year’s article about 16 ways you can help support VAW survivors which you can read in tandem with this article to get more ideas and suggestions that you may be able to apply to your situation/community.

Written and compiled by Ashley Sapp with additional content by Regina Yau. Introduction by Ashley Sapp and Regina Yau.

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8 Ideas/Tips for Violence Against Women (VAW) Survivors

Survivor Tip #1: Acceptance

The first building block in reclaiming your life after the violence is acceptance because acknowledging what has occurred can help start you on the road to recovery. Much like with grieving, part of being able to move forward and rebuild one’s life is to accept what has happened to you and how it has changed you and your life. This is because denial may prevent you from acknowledging where your life currently stands and how to go about healing from your wounds, especially when it comes to the complications of living with the consequences of violence. Acceptance does not mean that you are “over it” because your healing process can never be rushed and many survivors find that it is a long-term process that requires constant work but it’s a process that requires a first step. And acceptance is that first step.

Survivor Tip #2: Self-Awareness

There is nothing more important than recognising the emotions and thoughts you may be having, particularly after a traumatic event. Shielding yourself from your own mind is akin to putting up a partition that prevents you from working through your experiences and hinders the healing process. Understand that although you are not alone and others have shared this type of experience, the way you heal and behave and react can and will be unique. No one follows the same pattern, and this is okay. Also, everyone deals with this at their own pace, so whether you prefer to face it immediately or to put it away for a while until you have healed physically (if you have sustained physical injuries), it’s up to you. Just remember that it’s important to do so before your emotions and thoughts begin festering and causing you more hurt.

Survivor Tip #3: The Power of Creativity

Even if you are not the best writer or the most artistic person in the world, writing and crafts can serve as therapeutic tools after your traumatic experience. Very often, there is a feeling of loss after experiencing any sort of violence because violence is inherently destructive. Channeling your emotions and thoughts into words, art, dance, or music can be a pivotal part of working through everything that accompanies being a VAW survivor for several reasons. Firstly, creative activities may be able to help with revealing more about how you are feeling and dealing with what has occurred, and can also bring about new understanding that could be beneficial to your recovery. Secondly, creative activities may be a cathartic way for you find your voice after your traumatic experience. Thirdly, for some individuals, being able to create something using your hands and imagination may well be able to counteract the destructiveness of the violence inflicted on them by their abuser. For examples, see The Center for Women & Families.

Survivor Tip #4: Hobbies

If you are currently at a place in your recovery where you are not inclined to do creative activities, a simple activity you may want to consider undertaking is to remember the hobbies you enjoyed before the act of violence occurred. Even though you are dealing with a painful life-altering experience, it may help for you to remember some of the positive aspects of your life before the trauma. It can be easy to lose interest in hobbies and feel underwhelmed/ overwhelmed in general in the process of rebuilding yourself as a person and your life as a whole. However, if you are able to do so, being diligent about getting involved with the hobbies and activities that bring you joy (when you are ready) can be important in helping you because they can take you out of your mind for a bit into a place of happiness or, at least, comfort. In fact, if you have never had a hobby before, perhaps it is time to consider taking on one that can pique and absorb your interest effectively.

Survivor Tip #5: Use Available Resources

Sometimes it takes a long while for a survivor to reach this point, but the important thing is working towards being able to reach out and utilise all the tools and resources available around you that may be able to help you take the next step in reclaiming your life. Whether that means seeking help from family or friends, discussing what has happened with a survivors group, seeing a therapist, or calling a hotline number, feeling comfortable enough to explore your options is imperative to rebuilding. Some resources can be found on The Pixel Project’s Resources page.

Survivor Tip #6: Understand Timing

We all heal differently and within specific time frames and following our own distinctive patterns. No matter how quickly or slowly you move through the healing process, it only matters that you are moving through it at all. Comparing how you deal with your pain and how you manage your situation with how other survivors do it is unnecessary because there is no right or wrong way to go about it. Do what feels right. Do what helps you. But the main thing –the most important thing—is to take care of you. Listen to what your body and mind need and try to communicate that with both yourself and loved ones.

Survivor Tip #7: Unlearn Shame

Though hearing from others that what happened to you is not your fault can help, it is something you must learn and understand for yourself. You have no reason to feel guilty for your abuser’s/attacker’s actions because it was their choice to inflict violence on you. You have no reason to doubt that you are a survivor in every sense of the word, and though you will feel a bewildering range of emotions that come with being a survivor, shame should not be one of them. It is possible to unlearn shame as long as you continue to remind yourself of the truth: you are not to blame for what happened to you. Place post-its and reminders of this on your wall or your mirror until it sinks in. Another crucial step you can take in unlearning shame is to put distance between yourself and the people in your life and your community who insisting on blaming the victim (you) for what has happened to you. This is a difficult action to take as victim-blamers may include your family and friends but it is important to identify those who will recognise that it is not your fault and who will focus on helping you heal instead of making you doubt yourself.

Survivor Tip #8: Network, Network, Network

While your healing process and experience is unique to you, it is something that others are working through too. Joining a network of victims and survivors of traumatic events such as assault, rape, domestic violence, and female genital mutilation can help break down the barriers of feeling alone or unequipped to handle recovery. These are your peers who understand at least part of the emotional terrain that you are navigating and those who are further down the line in their own healing may have some helpful advice that you could apply to your own situation. Plus, sharing your own insight and tips with other survivors could help you heal as well. You can find support groups locally or online, in places like Trauma Survivors Network.

8 Ideas/Tips For Communities, Families, and Friends of Violence Against Women (VAW) Survivors.

Supporter Tip #1: Listen And Believe

When a survivor of any sort of gender-based violence or harassment—domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation, and so on—reaches out to talk about her experience, she is not necessarily seeking advice. Instead, she is looking for a safe environment and people who will actively listen to her in a non-judgemental way. Survivors need to be heard and assured that their experience is important, instead of having their trauma explained away, blamed for what happened to them, or have decisions about their future made on their behalf without their consent. Nothing can change what has already occurred to the survivor, but having a trustworthy, stable, and accepting community of supporters (friends, family, helplines like RAINN) who believes her and does not blame her will do wonders for her recovery. Another advantage of making the commitment to listen to the survivor is that you will be better able to find out directly from her what she needs and what you can do to help alleviate her pain.

Supporter Tip #2: Support In Appropriate Ways

For many VAW survivors, the healing process is a difficult one and what often brings the healing process to a halt is feeling too alone and isolated by the surrounding community to continue. As you listen to a survivor detail their feelings, thoughts, and experiences, it is important to remain supportive and to show that support in ways that the survivor is comfortable with. A few first steps you can take include: being reassuring, offering assistance when she needs or asks for assistance, doing research on healing resources for both you as a supporter and her as a survivor. Sometimes what is needed most by those who are recovering is simply knowing someone else will be there to help them and walk with them through this journey of rebuilding. At the same time, amplify your public support for the survivor (and all survivors in your community) by challenging the attitudes of those around you who stigmatise the survivor. For example, if you hear someone shaming the survivor (or gossiping unkindly about them), speak up to call out that person’s behaviour.

Supporter Tip #3: Do Your Research

Something that can help in any situation is to be well-informed, particularly when it comes to helping a VAW survivor in appropriate ways. One of the key steps to understanding the issues these survivors are facing as they progress toward healing (including: anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder) is to do your research – go online to educate yourself about them and what you can do to help the survivor. Although every survivor’s experience is unique, there are stages, symptoms, and signs of post-trauma recovery that the majority of survivors go through which you can learn to recognise in order to provide timely help. Once you are familiar with all this, you will be in a better place to take action to help Here’s a quick starting point: Check out The Pixel Project’s VAW Facts section to learn about the different types of violence against women, then go to our “Getting Help” section to get checklists and tips for helping survivors.

Supporter Tip #4: Help Build Resources

Whether or not you are a survivor yourself, the issue of violence against women is faced by many; therefore, resources are invaluable in every community. If there are limited or no shelters, helplines, and funds nearby to assist survivors where you live, one place to start is with your employer or community center. Still no luck? Then start looking for ways to build resources in your community by raising awareness about VAW via flyers, community fundraisers, and networking with others who are willing to help create more resources and cognizance locally. This can begin a movement in your community to ensure survivors have a safe environment to recover in while addressing victim-blaming and rape culture to effect wider social change.

Supporter Tip #5: Therapy Helps

Therapy can be beneficial part of the rebuilding process for survivors of rape, incest, domestic violence, and other forms of gender violence as it provides an additional level of help for healing on both an emotional and psychological level. However, therapy is not just for survivors – it can also be helpful for friends and family who are actively involved in helping the survivor. The right therapist can assist in better enabling you to be an effective supporter as someone equipped to help your loved one through this experience. There are sessions for you individually and that you can attend together with the survivor or as a group: utilise them. If private therapy is too expensive, find out if there are support groups or anti-VAW organisations nearby who may be able to help locate affordable therapy and counselling/guidance services for both survivors and the families/communities of the survivors.

Supporter Tip #6: Avoid Being Overbearing

While it is important to remain caring and supportive, there is a difference between doing so and being overbearing. Remember to respect the survivor’s needs. Do not push for more details when she is not ready nor should you try to “fix” problems or force her to talk beyond what she is comfortable discussing. Silence is not a bad thing and can in fact say quite a bit. Being there for a survivor means allowing her to be and to not pretend everything is okay. When in doubt, ask the survivor about what she needs and how she would like you to help her. If she asks for some space or insists on accomplishing a task on her own steam, respect her decision to do so as this is part of her journey towards regaining her self-confidence and self-respect after the violence.

Supporter Tip #7: Be Attentive to Flashbacks or Panic Attacks

Flashbacks and panic attacks can be fairly common in VAW survivors, and responding to them in a compassionate and appropriate manner will go a long way towards helping the survivor manage and recover from these episodes. Help the survivor to breathe properly, let them know you realise this feels real to them, but remind them that it is not are all key actions to take. Describe her surroundings and have her do the same, turn off any triggering music/television, and bring the focus back to the moment. Remind the survivor there is nothing wrong with undergoing flashbacks or attacks, as they are an opportunity to understand and to work through her experiences. If the flashback or panic attack is very severe, call for appropriate medical or professional assistance.

Supporter Tip #8: Recognise The Importance of Self-Care

Finally: Friends and family of survivors of violence often experience their own feelings of guilt, shame, or loss of intimacy because they were unable to help the survivor when the violence was inflicted on her or feel helpless when faced with the survivor’s suffering. Chances are that you will also be affected by this experience, so be sure to help and take care of yourself through it as well because you need to keep yourself healthy on all levels in order to continue helping the survivor for the amount of time it would take for her to heal.

The Pixel Project Selection 2014 – 16 Notable Anti-VAW Activists and Organisations You Should Follow on Twitter

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Crystal Smith

With Twitter quickly becoming a reliable, if not the most reliable, news source for many individuals, activism is beginning to play a major role within social media. For many, it is how resources are found, knowledge obtained, and discussions begun. Furthermore, organisations have taken notice and also use this new form of media to gain better outreach worldwide. Online volunteer charities and groups, such as The Pixel Project itself, are becoming a major staple in this modern age of activism.

Twitter offers a real-time view and perspective of what is occurring both elsewhere and in our own communities, enabling us to become more aware of social issues like violence against women. Information is very often a weapon of power, a tool to help us better our world through understanding. In this way, we are also creating an atmosphere of solidarity worldwide, which is something to take notice of.

Being able to look up a hashtag – #vaw for example – in order to find news sources, helplines, or other activists is a simple yet incredibly useful way to become involved. With that in mind, The Pixel Project presents our 2014 Twitter selection. We narrowed down the many incredible organisations and individuals involved in the cause to end violence against women to the 16 listed below. These are groups and people who will keep you informed simply because they share the passion to create a better tomorrow for girls and women everywhere.

Written and compiled by Ashley Sapp

Twitter Follow Recommendation 1: Canadian Women’s Foundation (@cdnwomenfdn)

The Canadian Women’s Foundation is a national organisation whose goal is to empower women and girls throughout Canada, aid them in moving out of violence and poverty, and rediscover a life of confidence and freedom. Furthermore, they host a wonderful campaign called Donate Your Voice, where the voices and faces of women who have been forced into sex trafficking are used to share stories by Canadians.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 2: Daughters of Eve (@daughtersofeve)

Daughters of Eve is a non-profit charity organisation that campaigns to end gender-based violence and female genital mutilation worldwide in order to protect women and girls. Their work includes a broad advancement of physical, mental, and sexual health rights in order to bring an end to the FGM practice and prevent the young women at risk of being subjected to it.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 3: Everyday Feminism (@EvrydayFeminism)

Launched in 2012, Everyday Feminism is an online magazine that works to amplify and accelerate the progressive cultural shifts taking place across the US and the world. With a following of 3 million users in over 200 countries, its mission is to not only shed light on the everyday discrimination, violence, and marginalization that occurs globally but also to bring an end to it. In doing so, it seeks to create an environment in which we can live without fear of silencing, violence, and dominance in our communities and everyday lives.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 4: Everyday Sexism (@EverydaySexism)

The Everyday Sexism project founded by Laura Bates has as its mission the documenting the experiences of harassment, sexism, and assault that occur on a day-to-day basis in order to create solidarity and raise awareness of how widespread the problem is. It aids in calling out how these levels of sexism are normalized in society and discussing ways to change this.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 5: Fem 2.0 (@Fem2pt0)

Feminism 2.0 is geared toward bringing together women’s grassroots organisations and online communities in order to connect voices, stories, and missions addressing women’s issues. Founders of Fem2pt0 recognised the potential of breaking down barriers between the many feminist activists utilizing new media and chose to enhance this pathway. Based in Washington DC, the group intends to create a better world and policies for women, families, and society.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 6: FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture (@UpsettingRape)

FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture is a creative campaign geared toward upsetting the culture of rape. Furthermore, the organisation has formed the Monument Project, a display that calls for an end to violence against women through this monument dedicated to survivors of rape and abuse. It is a crowd-sourced platform of stories from survivors of sexualised violence.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 7: Girl Up (@girlup)

Created by the United Nations Foundation, Girl Up is a campaign with a vision of creating and upholding a world where all girls and women, no matter where, have access to education, justice, and rights in order to become the next generation of leaders. The campaign is geared toward raising funds for UN programmes that aid some of the world’s most difficult-to-reach adolescent girls. In this way, they are providing access to resources to many who might not otherwise have such support.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 8: Girls’ Globe (@girlsglobe)

A group of organisations and individuals with the mission of improving the lives of girls and women worldwide, Girls’ Globe works on raising awareness of global issues that affect the health, education, and rights of women. Based in Sweden, Girls’ Globe is a non-profit with team members around the world all focused on sharing stories, news, and information in order to create an environment for women that is without violence, injustice, and discrimination.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 9: Laurie Penny (@PennyRed)

An English journalist, writer, and activist, Laurie Penny speaks on the subject of gender issues, pop culture, and social justice for The Guardian, Salon, The Nation, Vice, and others. She is also the author of her fourth book, Unspeakable Things, and Editor for The New Inquiry. She appeared on the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publication shortlist in 2012 for her book, Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 10: Leyla Hussein (@LeylaHussein)

Recipient of the Emma Humphrey Award for her work on ending female genital mutilation and other violence against women and children in 2011, Leyla Hussein is an activist and psychotherapist. She is also the co-founder of the project Daughters of Eve. She has previously spoken on these issues on several local, national, and international TV and radio programs, such as BBC World, BBC Today, and Al Jazeera.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 11: National Network to End Domestic Violence (@NNEDV)

The National Network to End Domestic Violence is an American national non-profit organisation founded to be the leading voice of domestic violence survivors and their allies with a network of over 2000 organisations nationwide. Their focus is on addressing all aspects of domestic violence with a goal of forming an environment without economic, political, and social injustices for all girls and women.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 12: National Sexual Violence Resource Center (@NSVRC)

The NSVRC’s mission is to prevent and respond to sexual violence through resources, research, and collaboration. Their goal is to celebrate diversity and ensure the world treats all women and girls with dignity and respect, creating a safer and healthier environment where people have full control over their bodies and sexual expression.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 13: Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (@RAINN01)

The largest in the United States, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network is an anti-sexual assault organisation. They are home to the Department of Defense Safe Helpline which provides one-on-one support and information online. It is a secure, anonymous, and confidential resource available online and via telephone, text, chat service, or mobile app. RAINN is also the partner of over 1,100 rape crisis centres across the country.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 14: Soraya Chemaly (@schemaly)

Soraya Chemaly is a writer and activist who discusses gender inequalities in pop culture, media, politics, and religion. She particularly focuses on the repression of women in all forms and uses media activism to draw attention to everyday sexism. Furthermore, she writes often on the subject of violence against women, and has appeared in The Nation, Salon, Time, CNN, Huffington Post, and many other platforms.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 15: Young Fems & Allies (@NOWYoungFems)

The National Organization for Women has created the first virtual chapter for young feminists and allies with the purpose of bringing young women, men, and non-gender-conforming individuals onto the activism path. In doing so, this organisation offers a voice to many who often feel underrepresented. They tackle many issues, one of which is the oppression and violence faced by many nationwide.

Twitter Follow Recommendation 16: Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell)

Zerlina Maxwell is a political analyst, writer, and speaker on multiple cultural issues including gender inequality, domestic violence, victim blaming, and sexual assault. She has visited various universities and colleges to speak on the subject of rape culture and feminism. She was also selected by TIME magazine as one of the best feeds to follow on Twitter in 2014.

16 Memorable Stories of Street Harassment 2014

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Carol Olson

We are proud today to share the fourth annual blog list of 16 memorable stories of women dealing with street harassment which has been kindly compiled by Holly Kearl, Founder of Stop Street Harassment and one of our 16 Female Role Models of 2010.

Almost 100% of women and girls experience street harassment in their lifetimes, ranging from the uncomfortable to the downright dangerous. Holly receives many stories of women fighting back against street harassment by themselves or with the help of friends, family, and bystanders. She shares them on the Stop Street Harassment website and Facebook page to help raise awareness of this particular type of violence against women as well as provide inspiration and ideas for everyone on making public places and spaces safe for women.

This list provides a starting point for all to learn about and discuss the impact of street harassment. We hope it’ll inspire you to take action.

It’s time to stop violence against women. Together.

– Regina Yau, Founder and President, The Pixel Project

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Empowering Response #1: As Anna was walking to the grocery store in Seattle, two men in a parked car harassed her. She felt safe and decided to respond back. She said, “I gave them a look, yelled back, ‘Don’t harass me!’ and kept walking. A few seconds later I heard a car about to drive past me, and a ‘Sorry!’ called out. I said thanks to the man in the passenger seat who apologised, and he told me to have a good day and I reciprocated.”

Empowering Response #2: Lise was running in a California park when she realised a group of middle school boys was harassing female athletes. After they harassed her, too, she decided to talk to them. Addressing the leader, she said, “Girls don’t like it when you talk to them that way.” She said she used a regular voice, one human being to another: “You see men talk that way, but they aren’t getting anywhere are they?” His friends fell silent and they all listened. She continued, “If you think a girl is pretty just talk to her like a regular person. Say hello, start a conversation. You’ll do a lot better that way.” The leader thought about the grown men he had been imitating. “Then why do they do that?” he asked. Lise said, “They don’t know any better. The ones who act that way are kind of dumb.” One boy called out from the back of the pack. “Yeah, it’s a dumb thing to do.” The leader said thanks – and there were no more inappropriate comments from them that day.

Empowering Response #3: Robbie is in her 50s and lives in Colorado. She says she does not experience street harassment anymore, but she won’t stay silent when she sees it happening to someone else. When she saw construction workers harassing a young woman, she checked in to make sure the woman was okay. Then she asked the men why they harassed the woman. They were dismissive of her, so she called 911 and the company they work for. She made both calls in front of them saying, “I think I gave them a tiny scare.”

Empowering Response #4: After a construction worker catcalled her during her walk to work, Anonymous confronted him and asked him why he thought that was appropriate to do. His colleague stepped in and apologised. She said, “Afterwards, I felt empowered for sticking up for myself.”

Empowering Response #5: Lee is frequently harassed and decided to start pushing back. After a man at a bus stop near her house harassed her, she walked up to him and let him know that this was where she lived. She told him this was her home and asked, “How dare he come to her neighborhood and disrespect her and make her feel less than safe?” She said, “I scared the crap out him and he seemed to decide that he didn’t need to wait for the bus, to skedaddle on home as he backed away apologising. Boy, was that satisfying. Speaking out then became something I could do (if I felt safe to) and it was empowering. It was like a first step toward taking back full ownership of my own body.”

Empowering Response #6: Anonymous was walking home from college in Utah when a man called out to her. She was tired of being harassed so she said, in a firm voice, “Excuse you?!” The man and his friends were silent and she walked home. She says they have never bothered her again when she’s walked by.

Empowering Response #7: S has been harassed on three continents and in her frustration one day, penned this letter to men. She concludes it by writing, “This dehumanisation of women based solely on their outward appearance is sexism. We’re people, not objects built solely to display clothes or sexually please men, so please do not treat us as such.”

Empowering Response #8: After experiencing street harassment in Edinburgh, Scotland, Anna called the police. The police looked into the incident but the officer who called her back said it was “probably just men being men.” Anna was frustrated by that comment and so wrote to the Chief Constable – and shared her letter online – to highlight the harmful attitude and to ask for more sensitivity around street harassment and related issues.

Empowering Response #9: Eya was shopping with her family in Tunisia when a man harassed her. She at first pretended to ignore him, but when she saw him laughing about getting away with it, she turned around and screamed at the top of her lungs, “YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!” He was really shocked, she said, “as if he didn’t realise I actually had a voice and could stand up for myself. He then simply turned around and retreated back into the shop, and I felt very proud of the way I had reacted.”

Empowering Response #10: SSH board member Lindsey launched “Cards Against Harassment” as a way to use messages on cards to respond to harassers. “I decided that a card would be the ideal middle ground, allowing me to provide feedback that harassment is unwanted without necessarily sticking around for an extended encounter.” After launching the cards, some of her male friends doubted she experienced street harassment as much as she does, so she started filming her harassers. Her videos were featured on numerous media sites over the summer, receiving hundreds of thousands of views.

Empowering Response #11: Greta was walking through the Scottsdale Hilton in Arizona to meet a friend staying there when two men whistled at her. Tired of dealing with harassment, she decided to talk to them about it. “Hi,” she said. “I notice you’re the only two people out here, and I’m the only person walking past. I just wanted to let you know when you whistle at women, it’s incredibly offensive and demeaning. I am a human being, not an object that exists for your viewing pleasure.” They retorted, “It’s okay, you’ll get over it.” So she continued to educate them: “Well actually, no, you’ll get over it. Because as straight white males with enough money to stay at the Hilton, you have the privilege of being able to choose how you address people around you. YOU get to make the choice. I don’t. So no, I won’t get over it. I’ve been dealing with it for years.” She then left, saying, “it felt really good to be able to call them on it.”

Empowering Response #12: SVN in Massachusetts as walking home at night when he yelled out to her. No one was around and she feared for her safety. “Yes?” She asked him. “How you doing?” he asked, crossing the street to get closer to her. She held up her hand saying, “I’m going to need you to leave me alone – I’m a woman walking by myself at night, and this is a little scary.” She said he stopped in his tracks, and said, “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that!” “That’s okay,” she said, “I’m going to keep walking, and you can go back to whatever you were doing.” And he sat back down, and she kept walking.

Empowering Response #13: As Anonymous was walking away from a bar with friends in Washington, a man grabbed her butt. She grabbed his shirt and slapped him and yelled, “You cannot touch me! You cannot just grab someone’s ass. That is not okay!” He ran away.

Empowering Response #14: An older man in Italy yelled, “Hey baby” to EZ as she walked to work. She pretended not to hear. He continued: “Hey, need a ride? Come here I’ll PAY you! How much is it?” She decided to fight back. She turned around, a big smile on her face, and said with loud voice, “Hey you! How old are you? 80? Your life is very near to the [natural] end, so why don’t you think about your health instead of bothering young ladies?” His face turned from red to purple. She walked away, smiling.

Empowering Response #15: After never responding to street harassers, A in Pakistan took a stand when a man touched her hip on the pedestrian bridge as he tried to walk past her. She screamed out “Beghairat” (“shameless” in Urdu). “I did something about street harassment,” she wrote. “After all these years, I finally did it tonight. I took a stand.”

Empowering Response #16: As Anonymous entered a New York subway car, a guy on the left of her pretended to “help” her into the train by grabbing her lower back and grazing it saying, “Here you go, sweetie.” When she told him, “Please don’t touch me,” he proceeded to insult her body, saying, “There’s not much to touch,” and laugh with his friend and make insulting comments about her race loudly so everyone on the train could hear. When he and his friends continued to harass her, she took his photo. He was surprised and stopped.

16 Ways to Educate Individuals and Communities about Sexual Consent

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Carol Olson

Valuing a women’s consent over her own body is an integral step towards ending violence against women. This means providing women the power to say “no” to sexual encounters, and for the word “no” to be respected in all situations. Myths depict rape and sexual assault perpetrators as strangers. However, two out of three rapes are committed by a person the victim knows. This occurs because sexual consent is either not understood or not respected.

Education is necessary to ensure everyone involved in a sexual activity is consenting, comfortable, valued and safe. Sexual consent education includes talking about how and when to ask for consent, how to say no, what constitutes consent, and the importance of respecting another person’s decision. Assault laws and consequences for a lack of consent should also be included in sexual consent discussions. These lessons will help end the countless sexual assaults that occur every day.

In this “16 For 16” article, we present 16 innovative ideas for educating children, young adults, and other members of your community about sexual consent.

Written by Rebecca DeLuca

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #1: Team up with local organisations

If you are assuming the responsibility of educating your community about sexual consent for the first time, it will be beneficial to connect with local organisations that focus on sexual consent and violence against women. Many organisations have already developed material and messaging that will help engage your audience and direct you in your educational messages. Speakers, educators, and classes may also be available.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #2: Conduct appropriate research
Sexual consent education will fail if the audience misinterprets, forgets, or ignores the message. Conducting research will help you prepare and construct a successful educational campaign and ensure message retention. Research can be done first-hand through interviews and surveys with your target audience. Information can also be found online. For example, Julie S. Lalonde conducted a Twitter survey about teaching male youth about rape culture. The responses – which can be found here – can help craft successful messages and sexual consent curricula.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #3: Start an online newsletter
An e-newsletter is an easy and inexpensive way to keep your community updated and involved in sexual consent education. Publishing, professional templates and contact maintenance are available free of charge on various platforms such as MailChimp. The e-newsletter, which can be sent daily, weekly or bi-weekly, can include upcoming events, recent stories, educational tips, advice, and questions and answers to ensure your community is always up-to-date.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #4: Include consent-based education in school curriculum
Challenging school boards to alter curricula is difficult and education about sexual consent may not be allowed in certain classrooms. However, obtaining consent and respecting the word “no” are skills that can be taught in numerous other environments and to all age groups. For example, using consent-based education to help children negotiate the use of toys will help them develop the mentality necessary to understand sexual consent when they are older.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #5: Make yourself a visible advocate
Making yourself or your group a visible advocate for sexual consent demonstrates to your community that discussing consent is not embarrassing or taboo. It is also a continuous reminder that you are available for discussions, assistance and advice. Tips for remaining visible include having booths at community events, sharing information about consent through your social media accounts, developing business cards with “Sexual Assault Advocate” listed on them, or speaking at events.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #6: Create an anonymous question box
Though asking questions about consent is nothing to be embarrassed about, some people will feel more comfortable remaining anonymous. Creating an anonymous question box will help ensure more people get the answers they are seeking. You can place the anonymous box in the classroom, at your school, at various events, on community websites, or at your community centre, then either answer the questions via a general FAQ sheet that can be distributed to the community or contact the asker directly to answer his/her question.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #7: Skits
Theatrical skits and performances are a creative, non-threatening way to discuss sexual consent. Scripts can be developed to discuss topics that affect your audience most, such as having sex for the first time, going away to college, or talking to teenage children about consent. While writing the script, acknowledge crucial moments in the plot to survey your audience on ways they would act. You can then discuss the correct and incorrect ways to proceed.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #8: Introduce youth to other youth programmes

Research suggests people are more likely to retain and listen to messages if the sender is similar to them and faces similar concerns. Thus, an important strategy to educate youth in your community about sexual consent is through peer education. This may include introducing youth-developed campaigns such as The Girl Code Movement, Party with Consent, or Campaign4Consent to your community to show teenagers how their peers are getting involved. Other tools include peer groups and guest youth speakers.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #9: Partner with bars, clubs and other local events to remind youth about consent
Reinforcing your messages about consent is integral, especially in high-risk situations. By identifying and partnering with organisations that have high-risk environments, you can help youth remember the importance of consent when you are absent. Partnerships with local bars, clubs and other events can include washroom poster campaigns, door stamps or wristbands easily-remembered reminders about consent on them.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #10: Monitor the media
Media can be consumed anywhere: on television, radio, social networks, and through messaging and face-to-face interaction. As a result, youth are consuming more media, quicker than before. Monitoring the news and other popular culture makes you proactive in spotting news stories and headlines that are teachable moments for helping children and other young people understand what they see and hear, and answer important questions they may have. Conversation starters can include “The [event here] that happened yesterday scared me. What did you feel?” or “Why do you think [he/she/they] acted that way? What would you have done?”

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #11: Hold bystander intervention events
Bystander research states people will make judgements about their behaviour based on the reactions they receive from the people around them. Through proper bystander intervention education and training, bystanders learn how to prevent and ease potentially violent environments and become confident enough to intervene in various situations. Bystander intervention events are integral for both youth and adults, and can be held in school, as part of after-school activities, or as a prerequisite for team sports and other community groups.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #12: Create and distribute visual content
Discussing consent should not be boring, overpowering or embarrassing. While facts, statistics and research are useful, they can often be overwhelming. To encourage youth understanding, use visuals. These can include bumper stickers, bracelets, or “What is Consent” pocket cards. Valentine’s day cards, for example, circulate messages about consent in an nonthreatening, creative way.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #13: Develop safety slogans
Slogans increase retention and recognition for brands. However, they are not exclusive to advertising and marketing. Developing and utilising slogans in your sexual consent education will help individuals recall information about consent. As slogans are easier to remember than facts and statistics, they will remind community members to make safe, smart decisions. Some examples of consent slogans are: “Yes means yes,” “consent is sexy,” and “a dress is not a yes.”

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #14: Introduce youth to available technology.
As mobile phone usage increases, young people can carry and access sexual consent information in their pockets. Developers have designed applications that emphasise the importance of consent, provide communication advice, answer anonymous questions and more. After researching mobile applications that are appropriate for your audience, location and goals, share them with your community. Or, if you cannot find an application that meets your unique needs, develop one with the help of your community.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #15: Start a Popular Culture Club.
Popular music, books, television and movies can help reinforce lessons about sexual consent by providing springboards for discussion. Through the sharing of books, movies and other media, a popular culture club allows community members to consume consent-positive media. The club, which can be developed online or in person, should also include a discussion section for members to share thoughts, insights and lessons learned with others.

Sexual Consent Education – Tip #16: Encourage community event participation. Encouraging participation in events that other organisations hold not only reinforces your messages, but also provides another outlet for engaged community members to support. Contact local organisations, look on your community’s event calendar, or connect with non-profits on social media to find upcoming events you can participate it in as a community.

The Pixel Project Selection 2014: 16 Films About Violence Against Women

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Crystal Smith

One of the most useful awareness-raising and educational tools at our disposal is the craft of film. To portray the real experiences and lives of individuals—particularly women who suffer tragedy, abuse, and revival—is something not to be taken for granted. It is just one way to open public consciousness and heighten awareness to the breadth of the issue of violence against women worldwide.

However, it is common for filmmakers to use violence against women as shock value or to be gratuitous, implying that such violence is either blithe or exemplary.Such portrayals further perpetuate the notion that sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence are a non-issue when in reality, they affect 1 in 3 women worldwide. Films that depict the violence girls and women experience in their daily lives are a great step towards building a better tomorrow simply by recognising the reality of today.

Many of the following films can be found online, which is yet another reason why video is a vital avenue for discussing worldwide and community issues like violence. Video-streaming sites like YouTube and Vimeo allow people to upload their own work or that of others, thus reaching a broader audience and bringing the conversation home. We hope that our 2014 selection of 16 documentaries show just how important film can be in advocating for the truth of these issues, enlightening audiences, and hopefully enabling others to join the fight to end violence against women.

Written and compiled by Ashley Sapp.

Selection Number 1: Casablanca Calling

Casablanca Calling is a 2014 documentary that showcases the social revolution slowly occurring in Morocco where approximately 60% of women have never been to school. Despite political conflict, Moroccan women are being trained for the first time to be leaders. The film follows these women as they circulate in schools and other sites, speaking on marriage, education, and employment. In doing so, the film highlights the promise of change and indicates the importance of empowerment among girls and women.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezL2mDc_eMM

Selection Number 2: Defending Our Lives

The Oscar-winning documentary Defending Our Lives emphasises the seriousness and prevalence of domestic violence in the United States. The video features the testimonies of battered women who have been imprisoned for killing their husbands. The women in the film are members of ‘Battered Women Fighting Back,’ an organisation formed initially as a prison support group but expanded into a community-based task force. Each woman who appears in this video has experienced domestic violence firsthand via stalking, harassment, and abuse by their husbands and partners. The video focuses on how these women defended their lives and were subsequently put behind bars for it.

Note: Please go here to watch the trailer for this documentary as the video is unavailable on YouTube or Vimeo. TRIGGER WARNING: There are images that may be distressing for survivors of domestic violence.

Selection Number 3: Duma

Duma was a controversial documentary about the abuse women face in Palestinian and Arab societies. It is regarded as the first film to fully document and shed light upon the sexual abuse women face in Arab society. The documentary features women and the experiences they have endured at the hands of friends and family as well as the resulting silence imposed upon them. By giving voice to these perspectives, the film not only reveals the abuse but gives hope to survivors that they will no longer be silenced.

Selection Number 4: Heaven on Earth

In the 2008 film Heaven On Earth, a young Indian Punjab woman moves to Ontario, Canada, for an arranged marriage to an Indo-Canadian man. However, her husband is an abuser who continues to isolate her after she has already left behind her community in India. The film explores a real problem for immigrants who are victims of domestic violence as they struggle not only to find resources but also ways to communicate what is occurring in their home lives.

Selection Number 5: I Am a Girl

Simply by being female, girls are more likely to be subjected to poverty, violence, disease, and other disadvantages. The 2013 film I Am A Girl follows the lives and stories of various young girls and teens as they face forced marriage, pregnancy, and threats against their lives if they seek education. These girls live in places like Cambodia, Australia, New York, and New Guinea, signaling the fact that these issues are faced worldwide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fExPacu9wds

Selection Number 6: Jazz Mama

The 2010 film Jazz Mama focuses on the sexualised violence of Congolese women and also how they remain pillars of strength, as survivors, within their community after their experiences. This film has also become a movement inspired by the strength and resilience of these very women from the Congo. It was given the Zanzibar International Film Festival award in 2010.

Selection Number 7: Maria in Nobody’s Land

A film by Marcela Zamora Chamorro, Maria in Nobody’s Land takes an intimate look at the journey of three women from El Salvador as they travel to the US. The decision is not a light one, but they each decide to leave behind their abusive husbands and seek a better life outside of poverty. In doing so, they face prostitution, rape, kidnapping, and death, which is similar to many other immigrants’ stories. This 2010 film highlights the dangers many women endure.

Selection Number 8: Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter

Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter is a film featuring a woman originally from Mali now living in the United States. However, if deported back to Mali, her two-year-old daughter would be under the threat of female genital mutilation. The movie follows Mrs. Goundo as she seeks political asylum and works on convincing an immigration judge of the danger her daughter faces. This film demonstrates the struggles women often face when it comes to immigration laws and human rights.

Selection Number 9: No Burqas Behind Bars

The 2013 film No Burqas Behind Bars showcases the experiences and life of women in Afghanistan prisons. For example, in the Takhar Prison, 40 women and their 34 children were locked behind bars together within four cells. The film investigates how imprisonment is used to control women in Afghanistan, with some even facing longer punishments for fleeing their husbands than others who have commited murder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJc-KajJA7s

Selection Number 10: Private Violence

Premiering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Private Violence won the Candescent Award, which was created to support socially conscious documentary films. The feature-length documentary narrates the stories of domestic violence survivors while breaking down the knee-jerk reactions of asking why victims stay with their abusers. In doing so, the film works to change the conversation and build a different future for women.

Selection Number 11: Silent Voices

The film Silent Voices is a docudrama that discusses the issue of domestic violence in the United Kingdom. It was later released as a DVD in 2008 in order to raise funds for the charity National Centre for Domestic Violence. The film features fictitious characters ranging from the ages of 10 to 40 performing monologues based on real events and experiences.

Selection Number 12: Six Days: Three Activists, Three Wars, One Dream

By following three human rights defenders as they move through Iraq, Liberia, Georgia, and Abkhazia, Six Days offers insight into the everyday plight of women worldwide. Education, honour killings, and health issues are just a few examples explored in the 2013 documentary which enlightens audiences to the challenges women face but also the changes, the empowerment, and the differences they are making in order to create a better tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAxBGQ2XNy4

Selection Number 13: Telling Amy’s Story

Telling Amy’s Story is a film that recalls the timeline of a domestic violence homicide that occurred in 2001 through interviews with the victims’ parents, co-workers, law enforcement, and others. The actress and activist Mariska Hargitay hosts while Detective Deirdri Fishel narrates. Through this film, further awareness is raised on the issue of abuse against women.

Selection Number 14: The Conspiracy of Silence

This PBS documentary focuses on the silence that follows domestic violence, as victims feel they cannot come forward about the abuse they have experienced whether by fear of their abusers or the stigma surrounding such abuse. Often the victims believe their silence will prevent further violence from occurring. The film goes beyond economic and racial lines in order to demonstrate that domestic violence does not discriminate and can happen to anyone.

Selection Number 15: V-Day: Until the Violence Stops

Until the Violence Stops documents the way in which The Vagina Monologues developed into the international movement V-Day, geared toward ending violence against women and girls. The film features women from around the world who each share their stories and experiences of abuse and rape as well as circumcision. In doing so, both the film and the resulting movement have aided in raising awareness of the prominence of violence within global societies and breaking the silence surrounding abuse.

Selection Number 16: War Zone

Though there are multiple forms of assault and abuse, one that often goes unnoticed since it is considered the norm is street harassment. The 1998 documentary War Zone engages men in order to seek answers as to why they catcall, whistle, or otherwise make comments at women. As director Maggie Hadleigh-West explores this issue within the United States, some men apologize or converse while others yell or even attempt to hit her. Through this film, the very real experience of women is put into the spotlight to be analyzed and discussed.

The Pixel Project Selection 2014 – 16 Notable Facebook Pages by Anti-Violence Against Women Organisations

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Crystal Smith

In only ten years, Facebook became a social media powerhouse, with 829 million daily active users as of June 2014. Of those users, 654 million log in from their mobile devices every day. Facebook has grown from a basic social connection website to a life platform. It is used to find, connect, and catch up with friends, to read the news, to conduct business, to shop, and to learn.

Facebook is also used to find causes, organisations, and events that are important to us and to advocate for various issues. Now, Facebook users can learn about and support global issues from their own home. They can follow organisational news, participate in grassroots campaigns, and donate right from their mobile phone or computer.

Violence against women is one of the global issues finding supporters on Facebook. Now, one story can be heard by millions of people around the globe. In this article, we highlight 16 anti-violence against women Facebook pages that are unique in their message and their delivery. This is our third annual list of recommended Facebook pages and we have selected them because they make an effort to temper humour with information, offer a significant way for their readers to help, and make those in the fight feel more powerful and part of something greater. They present a unique perspective on a global issue. So pick and choose a couple to ‘like’, or better yet – ‘like’ them all and get informed and take action.

Written and compiled by Rebecca DeLuca

Recommended Facebook Page 1: A Call to Men – United States of America

A Call to Men is a violence prevention organisation geared towards men. The organisation educates men to be loving and respectful, so all women and girls can be valued and safe. A Call to Men believes shifting social norms about manhood is an integral step to ending domestic and sexual violence. Understanding that preventing violence against women is primarily the responsibility of men, A Call to Men utilises training, keynote presentations, consultation and education to challenge men’s understanding of masculinity. The Facebook page, while focused on United States media, shares global news about men’s roles in ending violence against women.

Recommended Facebook Page 2: Create Consent Culture by Providing Youth the Tools – Canada

Create Consent Culture by Providing Youth the Tools is a Facebook community geared toward educators. The community’s goal is to develop resources to integrate consent-based education into schools. This Facebook page is a place for discussion about rape culture, a resource exchange, and an idea hub for educators. While many of the posts discuss education and educational institutions, followers will also find information for parents and news about other feminist organisations.

Recommended Facebook Page 3: Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children – Australia

The Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children is an Australian organisation working to raise awareness about violence against women. The Foundation shares articles about empowering women, violence against women, and tips to end abuse. The Foundation’s Facebook page is also a resource for members to find information about upcoming women-focused events in various Australian communities.

Recommended Facebook Page 4: Girls Not Brides – Global

Girls Not Brides, an organisation also featured in our 2013 edition of “16 Notable Activists and Nonprofits to Follow on Twitter,” is bringing global attention to the issue of child marriage. The Girls Not Brides Facebook page is a collaborative resource for discussions about ending child marriage and bringing awareness to child brides. While important news articles are shared, the Facebook page’s most important resource is real, first-hand stories from women and girls affected by child marriage.

Recommended Facebook Page 5: Human Rights Project for Girls – United States of America

Human Rights Project for Girls (Rights4Girls) is an organisation that focuses on gender-based violence and its effects on women and girls in the United States of America. Focusing on sexual violence, domestic violence, rape, and trafficking in the U.S., the organisation uses education and engagement to demand policy changes. The Rights4Girls Facebook page shares information on laws and policies affecting women and girls across the United States.

Recommended Facebook Page 6: Men Against Violence – Mauritius

Men Against Violence (MAV) is a Mauritius nonprofit organisation framing violence against women as an issue men need to solve. The MAV Facebook page develops messages targeting men and boys and shares them in English and French. Not only does the organisation upload relevant news articles to its Facebook page, but it also shares videos, photos, and other forms of multimedia discussing violence against women.

Recommended Facebook Page 7: Object! Women not Sex Objects – United Kingdom

Object! Women not Sex Objects challenges the sexual objectification of women in the media and in popular culture. Object! uses grassroots activation and political lobbying to achieve its vision: a society free of sexism, in which women’s diversity is fully embraced and represented. While Object! focuses on ending sexual objectification, their Facebook page also acts as a hub for research and articles about a broader range of women’s rights issues.

Recommended Facebook Page 8: Pandora’s Project – Australia and United States of America

Pandora’s Project is a haven for rape and sexual abuse survivors, and their family and friends. With an active community, the Facebook page acts as an online support group where survivors can tell their stories and connect with others. Pandora’s Project shares inspirational quotes, powerful messages, and articles about survival and coping.

Recommended Facebook Page 9: Sexual Violence Research Initiative – Global

The Sexual Violence Research Initiative promotes research and generates empirical data about sexual violence. The organisation connects researchers, policy makers, donors and activists from around the world to ensure that sexual violence is recognised as a global issue. Those looking to study the effects of sexual violence, incorporate best practises into their teaching or therapy, or follow important research will find weekly SVRI updates including new research, grants, proposals and relevant news stories on the organisations’s Facebook page.

Recommended Facebook Page 10: Stop the Worldwide War on Girls – Global

Stop the Worldwide War on Girls is an active Facebook community building awareness about the frequent injustices women and girls face. If you are looking for global violence against women stories and updates, Stop the Worldwide War on Girls is a suggested place to begin. The Facebook page also has an active community, allowing you to engage in discussions, tell and read personal stories, and connect with like-minded activists.

Recommended Facebook Page 11: Take Back the Tech – Global

Take Back the Tech! is a campaign calling for the control of technology to end violence against women. The campaign accompanies the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in its daily actions, however the Facebook page is active the rest of the year too. Focusing on how technology and violence against women are connected, Take Back the Tech! engages its supporters in surveys, provides an anonymous harassment reporting service, and shares articles focusing on technology’s role in ending violence against women.

Recommended Facebook Page 12: The Girl Code Movement – United States of America

The Girl Code Movement, founded by youth in New York, unites college women from across the United States to become activists in ending rape. The college-focused organisation uses education and training to empower women to become active bystanders. The organisation’s Facebook page includes stories from rape survivors, female empowerment quotes, news, and Cock Block Tips, which are tips to help women end rape.

Recommended Facebook Page 13: The Official 16 Days of Activation Against Gender Violence Campaign – Global

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign aiming to end all forms of violence against women. Individuals and groups use the 16 days between November 25 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) and December 10 (International Human Rights Day) to illustrate that violence against women is a human rights violation. The Official 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence’s Facebook page is a focal point for the campaign, sharing actions and news and stories from the numerous individuals and groups involved. The rest of the year the Facebook page is a resource for those interested in the fight to end violence against women, sharing international news and important actions.

Recommended Facebook Page 14: The WAVE Network – Europe

Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) is a network of European NGOs promoting the human rights of women and children. Through raising awareness, empowering women and children, and lobbying, WAVE’s mission is to end violence against women. The WAVE Network uses its Facebook page to share articles about violence European women face. Also, the WAVE Network shares its lobbying efforts, event updates, and photos of their meetings, conferences, and events.

Recommended Facebook Page 15: V-Day – Global

V-Day, a global moment to end violence against women and girls, promotes creative events that increase awareness and raise money for anti-violence organisations. One of V-Day’s signature campaigns, One Billion Rising, brings together a billion people from across the globe to rise, dance, release and demand justice to end violence against women and girls. The V-Day Facebook page shares information about global anti-violence movements and events, making it easy for supporters to get involved.

Recommended Facebook Page 16: Women Against Abuse – United States of America

In 1976, a time when services for victims of domestic violence were unheard of, two social workers started Philadelphia’s first domestic violence hotline. Now, Women Against Abuse is one of the largest domestic violence agencies in the country. Though the non-profit organisation is located in Philadelphia, they share statistics, research, and articles that are pertinent to victims and survivors across the United States.

16 Photographers Who Support the Cause to End Violence Against Women

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Carol Olson

Photography has the potential to be a great instrument for social change that allows individuals to document their circumstances, share their stories, and change their lives. Photography and the use of images adds depth and forwards the social exploration and commentary on issues impacting our society.

Photography as social documentary brings to light the stories and realities of violence against women and girls, from child brides, to female genital mutilation, to street harassment. The viewer is brought into the worlds depicted by each photographer and asked to join in the global conversation to effect change. The sixteen photographers selected examine the impact of images and the power of storytelling to study and raise awareness of violence against women and girls. Some of the projects, like Project Unbreakable, bring the viewer into the project by having people submit their own pictures of street harassment.

These diverse photographers represent a different countries and different genres of the visual arts. Some of them are global celebrities, others are well-respected in their countries or genres of documentary, portraiture, or street photography. It is the movement to end VAW that unites and inspires them and we hope that all of them will continue to work with the movement in years to come. We hope that these 16 photographers will engage you and inspire you to share and expand your own creative conversations about violence against women.

Note: To learn more about these 16 photographers and their work, click on their names in the header above their write-up.

Written and Compiled by Angelique Mulholland; Introduction by Carol Olson

________________________________________________________________________

Photographer Against VAW #1: Ann Jones – United States of America

Journalist, photographer and humanitarian Ann Jones has spearheaded the International Rescue Committee’s Global Crescendo Project and implemented its simple but powerful strategy across Africa. In countries torn apart by war, women are armed with digital cameras and encouraged to document the daily violence and subjugation of their lives in the aftermath of civil war. Women have presented their photos – evidence of daily violence committed usually by their husbands and fathers – and for the first time, they have been heard. The effect on local elders and tribal chiefs has been groundbreaking and some elders have started to make changes in consultation with the photographers involved. In many traditional and patriarchal communities women are forbidden to touch new appliances in the house. However, through supporting each other, they have overcome their fears and have taken some striking photos that capture the everyday violence that so many women suffer.

Photographer Against VAW #2: Ann-Christine Woehrl – Germany

The German photographer Ann-Christine Woehrl has taken pictures of women who have survived acid attacks and through her work has documented great suffering and great strength. Acid attacks are becoming increasingly common across a number of countries in South East Asia and most recently examples of acid attacks have been cited in domestic violence cases in Italy. Ann-Christine’s photos show women who have found life and joy after being scarred so terribly – often by husbands or partners and sometimes after years of physical abuse. Ann-Christine’s work is collated in her exhibition entitled “UN/VISIBLE” and can be seen at the Ethnological Museum of Munich until January 2015. Ann-Christine commented: “My concern is for women who have become invisible in their cultures, to be made visible again.”

Photographer Against VAW #3: Donna Ferrato – United States of America

The opening message on Donna Ferrato’s website states: “The mission of I Am Unbeatable is to raise awareness, educate and prevent domestic violence against women and their children through real stories and real people.” Donna’s mission, which has spanned over three decades, has resulted in a collection of poignant and haunting images candidly showing the suffering involved for all the family when domestic violence occurs. Indeed, some of Donna’s images capture an assault taking place. In 1991, Donna published a corresponding book “Living with the enemy”. Her photos also document the lives of women who are serving life sentences for killing their abusers and images of children who have lived through abuse. Donna has been featured in Time magazine, won numerous awards and she has met privately with Hillary Clinton to discuss the problem of domestic violence. Her project is called “Unbeatable” because she believes every woman abused by a partner of spouse has the courage to leave the violence and create a new life for herself and her children – free from the fear of violence.

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Ferrato may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #4: Gareth Barton – United Kingdom

Gareth Barton, a photographer for UK charity Flame International, won the 2013 photography competition “Look Again” for 28 Too Many – a charity which seeks to empower survivors of FGM and create positive relationships for women across Africa. Gareth gave an emphatic and emotional acceptance speech. “I hate this. I hate this stuff (violence against women)…I want to see it ended.” His striking photo of Sarah, a young woman in South Sudan who was captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) was the winner among many other stand-out photographs on the subject of violence against women. Sarah’s story is both fortuitous and tragic. Along with 14 other innocents, including her mother-in-law, Sarah was selected to be the wife of the captain of LRA. When they found she was pregnant, unusually, she was released, however, not before the other abductees were brutally murdered in front of her, including her mother-in-law. Sarah’s calm, poignant poise and story captured the hearts of the judges and, of course, the heart of the photographer.

Photographer Against VAW #5: Grace Brown – United States of America

The brain child of photographer Grace Brown, Project Unbreakable is a pioneering photography project that depicts survivors of sexual assault holding up posters on which they quote their attackers. Since its founding in 2011, the project has showcased over 2,000 survivors’ stories in pictures. The mission of Project Unbreakable is “to increase awareness of the issues surrounding sexual assault and encourage the act of healing through art.” Project Unbreakable has been featured in media outlets such as Glamour, TIME, Buzzfeed, and The Guardian. Grace tours universities and schools across North America to educate on sexual violence and introduce Project Unbreakable to young people. Women aged 18 – 25 years old are in the highest risk category for rape and abuse and Project Unbreakable seeks to promote healing for women who have experienced sexual violence.

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs featured in Project Unbreakable may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #6: Jillian Edelstein – South Africa and the United Kingdom

Jillian Edelstein is a London-based award-winning international photographer and The Pixel Project’s principal photographer. Jillian has dedicated her time and extraordinary skills for The Pixel Project’s Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign to help raise awareness and funds for the cause to end violence against women. Jillian has photographed The Pixel Project’s celebrity male role models in secret locations and has supported the mission of the campaign to get more men speaking out against violence against women. The portraits are currently hidden under a virtual 1-million pixel cover and being gradually revealed as donors donate $1 per pixel. Jillian grew up in turbulent South Africa and witnessed firsthand violence and injustice. This galvanised her drive and passion to work toward ending injustice in all its forms. In the late 1990s, Jillian made several trips to South Africa to document the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and her award-winning book Truth and Lies, was shot in large format and published in 2002.

Photographer Against VAW #7: Mary Ellen Mark – United States of America

Mary Ellen Mark’s interest lies with people living on the fringes of society. Her work has been described by the California Museum of Women Photography as being “somewhere between social documentary photography and photojournalism.” In 1981, Mary lived with and photographed the infamous “cage girls:” prostitutes living in cage-like brothels and ostracised from India’s fiercely hierarchical social system. The project became known as The Cage Girls of Mumbai. The prostitutes did not have pimps, were free of drugs, and were a close-knit community. After living with the cage girls for three months, Mary commented on the young women: “All of them, even the most seemingly aggressive, are vulnerable.” Mary’s photos portray their vulnerability with great sensitivity. One photo shows a prostitute with a client whilst a child, presumably her daughter, looks on – confused and angry. Although prostitution is illegal in India, there continues to be demand among men from all classes of India’s society. Often, young girls are trafficked from poorer rural areas and forced to work as prostitutes. They are vulnerable to violence, rape and can contract HIV at a young age. Mary Ellen’s work in the early 80s shows the vulnerability and the young age of the prostitutes, and unfortunately in the 30 years since Mary took the photos, very little has changed.

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Mark may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #8: Meeri Koutaniemi – Finland

In November 2013, Finnish photographer Meeri Koutaniemi witnessed two step-sisters, Isina and Nasirian* from the Maasai tribe in Kenya, endure the illegal practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The United Nations estimates that FGM affects 125 million girls across the world and many are suffering from the horrific, life altering effects without proper access to medical treatment or psychological support. Koutaniemi met with the father of the sisters and gained permission to document the “coming-of-age ritual”. Koutaniemi’s black and white photos begin with beautiful portraits of the sisters, their house and their community. They go on to document their nervous faces before the ritual, then the horror of their screaming faces during the cutting and the sadness and pain that seems to envelop them after. Koutaniemi says that they performed type 2 FGM, where the clitoris and labia are completely removed. Some FGM activists object to this kind of photography to raise awareness of this abuse. Koutaniemi has said she will continue to document this terrible crime against young girls and the effect it has on their lives.

*names changed to protect their identities

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Koutaniemi may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #9: Patrizia Pulga – Italy

Inspired by One Billion Rising – a global protest against gender based violence through the medium of dance – Italian photographer Patrizia Pulga created a unique photography exhibition intent on destroying the “weeping victim” stereotype. She visualised a group of women in clothes she’d designed in different locations around the world, wearing the slogans from the international protest. She comments: “I never liked campaigns against violence which represent women as the eternal, weeping, battered and bruised victims. So I decided to produce symbolic pictures whose subjects are female forms wearing dresses or T-shirts with slogans against violence upon women.” The effect is alternative, vibrant and makes the viewer look twice at the slogans as well as the beautifully contrasting colours.

Photographer Against VAW #10: Pete Muller – Kenya and the United States of America

War in the Congo has raged since the 1990s and women’s bodies have long been used as a standard weapon of war. Rape has been used as a tool to ‘demoralise the enemy’ between local militia fighting over land and resources. This seemingly relentless violence, rape, and sexual torture has affected tens of thousands of women since the conflict began and countless lives have been destroyed. In 2011, with the support of numerous international aid organisations, the Congolese military finally sought to intervene and curb this terrible trend with the first of the rape trials. Pete Muller, a freelance photojournalist documented the trial of Mutware Daniel Kibibi, the most senior military officer to be accused of rape and crimes against humanity. The photos are split into two sections: The Trial and The Victims. The victims’ identities are protected as rape is still a taboo subject and women are often ostracised from their families and communities. The photos of the trial show the accused and other soldiers standing trial. It is clear that the justice system is entirely made up of men. After 10 days, Kibibi and 8 of his men were sentenced to decades of hard labour. It was a landmark case and the crowd were heard chanting, “You thought you got away with it, now you will pay.”

Photographer Against VAW #11: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz – United States of America

Sara Naomi Lewkowicz is a freelance photographer and a Masters degree candidate at Ohio university. In 2012, Sara was given an assignment to document the difficulties of being an ex-convict after being set free from prison. She met an ex-convict – Shane, 31 – and his girlfriend – Maggie, 19 – and she began to document their lives. What she didn’t know, was during the assignment she would take some remarkable and incredibly graphic photos documenting domestic violence. One night Shane and Maggie have a drunken argument in a bar and when they return home, Shane physically assaults Maggie. Sara captures everything. The assault itself, the police arriving, Maggie’s daughter witnessing the fight, Maggie packing up and leaving and her attempt to start a new life with her former husband and father of her children. The photos are chilling and extraordinary in the way they destroy the silence surrounding domestic violence by exposing it so openly. Sara won the 2013 Ville de Perpignan Rémi Ochlik Award for her work documenting domestic violence and she has recently started working with Donna Ferrato – a photographer who has been documenting domestic violence for over 30 years.

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Lewkowicz may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #12: Souvid Datta – India and the United Kingdom

Sonagachi is one of India’s oldest red light districts. Countless children are born into a life of prostitution, violence and poverty. Kolkata’s local men visit the brothels to pay for sex with both local and trafficked women, some of whom are below the age of consent. UK-based photographer Souvid Datta, who is originally from Kolkata, first visited Sonagachi by accident when he was a child. He was lost and stumbled into the slum and vividly remembers bright red lights and young girls being led away by middle aged men in suits. At the age of 21, Datta decided to expose the truth of Sonagachi by taking pictures of the local inhabitants, his main focus being on mothers and daughters. In Datta’s brave series, In The Shadows Of Kolkata, we witness three generations of women partaking in a profession that is a means of survival. Some images are full of life and colour – children playing games in the streets full of energy and innocence. Yet they are juxtaposed with the darkness of the mother’s work, and the viewer is left wondering how much of the adult world has already encroached on the childhoods of their children. Datta says: “The juxtaposition of the adult profession with the innocence of youth adds an additional layer of disturbance to an already troubling theme.”

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Datta may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #13: Stephanie Sinclair – United States of America

Human rights photographer Stephanie Sinclair has been working on a project to expose childhood marriage for over 9 years. An issue in over 50 countries around the world, childhood marriage is a significant problem that dramatically affects the life of a young girl. A girl forced into marriage is often robbed of an education, her freedom, her childhood and has a higher chance of becoming a victim of domestic and sexual violence. In addition, many child brides have complications during child birth, and some die as their bodies have not fully developed and are not ready to carry children. Stephanie commented: “It’s a harmful traditional practice that is slowly changing we just want to see it change even faster.” Too Young To Wed: The Secret World of Child Brides reveals saddening photos of young girls and their much older husbands as well as a young girl being carted away to her new husband’s house on their wedding night. Stephanie celebrates success stories with her photography too. Nujood Ali – the 11-year-old girl who successfully divorced her much older, abusive husband in a landmark case in Yemen – is celebrated with a stunning photo which simply screams: “Freedom.” Stephanie’s images have also been used for The Girl Summit, which took place in London in July 2014, and is a global event aimed at mobilising and accelerating efforts to end child marriage and female genital mutilation in a generation.

Photographer Against VAW #14: Tim Matsui – United States of America

In collaboration with The Alexia Foundation, a charity that uses the art of photography as a force for change, Tim Matsui has produced a collection of photos and a documentary on the subject of the trafficking of minors for the purposes of sexual exploitation in the US. Tim’s most striking photo of his collection is of a young girl called Lisa. She is arrested on charges of prostitution but instead of being taken to prison the police take her to a safe house that helps women and girls exit prostitution and life on the streets. When she first arrives she is given a bathrobe. She is told that she can keep the robe and that people care about her. She replies: “Why? I don’t care about myself.” The corresponding photo shows the back of Lisa in her robe eating some food. You can see she is young and vulnerable, even from this picture where you do not see her face. Working with Media Storm, Tim has made a feature length documentary called The Long Night about Lisa and three other people whose lives are torn apart by sexual exploitation.

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Matsui may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #15: Vlad Sokhin – Portugal

Crying Meri is a collection of photographs by Vlad Sokhin documenting the atrocities committed against women in Papua New Guinea. Doctors Without Borders has said that the levels of violence witnessed by their volunteers is akin to that of war-torn countries. Cited on Vlad’s website, recent statistics from the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health, indicate that “more than two thirds of women have experienced physical or sexual violence, one third were subjected to rape and 17% of sexual abuse involved girls between the ages 13 and 14.” Women are seen as the property of men and perpetrators of violence act with impunity. Raskol gangs, which operate in settlements in the larger cities, rule with brutal violence and go unpunished for their crimes. In order to enter one of the gangs, the men must rape a woman. If he murders the woman, he is held in higher regard. Domestic violence is also a widespread crime and Vlad’s photos show the mutilated bodies of women who have been violently abused by their husbands.

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Sokhin may be distressing for some readers.

Photographer Against VAW #16: Walter Astrada – Argentina

Walter Astrada was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is a freelance photographer living in Madrid. Walter’s ongoing project Violence Against Women has been lauded by critics as one of the most graphic yet poignant portrayals of different forms of violence against women around the world. He has produced four collections so far. In Femicide In Guatemala, Walter shines a light on the widespread problem of violence against women in this South American country which has led the highest rate of femicide – the killing of women – in the region. Sexual Violence In Eastern Congo has one of Walter’s most famous shots, a woman has a suckling baby at her breast and in the background we see an advancing tank on its way to destroy her village. Shattered Myths In Norway demonstrates the brutal violence that can take place against women in a seemingly peaceful country and Undesired takes a look at the growing problem of female foeticide in India.

TRIGGER WARNING: The photographs taken by Astrada may be distressing for some readers.

___________________________________________

Photo Credits/Sources:

Ann Jones – From www.annjonesonline.com
Anne-Christine Woehrl – From “Attack on body and soul: How do women survive acid attacks?”
Donna Ferrato – From www.donnaferrato.com
Gareth Barton – From www.spreadcommunications.co.uk
Grace Brown – Courtesy of Grace Brown/Project Unbreakable
Jillian Edelstein – Courtesy of The Pixel Project
Mary Ellen Mark – Photo by Michael Underwood
Meeri Koutaniemi – From www.echophotoagency.com
Patrizia Pulga – Photo by Medardo Pedrini
Pete Muller – From www.primecollective.com
Sara Naomi Lewkowicz – From The Alexia Foundation blog
Souvid Datta – From The Young Creatives blog
Stephanie Sinclair – From WorldPressPhoto.com
Tim Matsui – Photo by Frank Huster
Vlad Sokhin – From www.loeildelaphotographie.com
Walter Astrada – From www.walterestrada.com

The Pixel Project Selection 2014: 16 Songs About Violence Against Women (and Staying Strong and Positive)

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Crystal Smith

“Where words fail, music speaks.”― Hans Christian Andersen

Music has evolved into something more than a form of entertainment. It has become a vehicle for critiques and social change. In the global fight to end Violence Against Women (VAW), music works in unique ways.

Through music, those whose lives have been touched by violence tell stories that resonate deep within the listener’s soul. One song can inspire someone to seek help, or can remind a survivor that healing is possible. Music can empower women to find strength to overcome obstacles, embrace their differences, and love themselves unconditionally.

As music continues to educate, enlighten, and help with the social change needed to stop VAW, The Pixel Project presents our 2014 selection of 16 songs about or related to VAW and women’s empowerment. Our selection spans an assortment of genres and a variety of artistes. These diverse songs reflect on abuse and VAW, send messages of hope, and empower women everywhere.

Without further ado, here is this year’s selection of 16 songs presented in alphabetical order. We hope they inspire and move you as much as they have inspired and moved us.

Written and compiled by Rebecca DeLuca; Additional song selections by Regina Yau and Crystal Smith.

Song Number 1: Broken Girl – Matthew West

Matthew West’s “Broken Girl” is a song about child abuse and the everlasting effect is has on a person. Letters and confessions about abuse by West’s fans inspired “Broken Girl.” “Anybody who sent me their story that dealt with the topic of abuse,” West said, “that’s their song.”

Song Number 2: Do My Thing – Estelle ft. Janelle Monáe

Estelle and Janelle Monáe came together to create the female empowerment anthem “Do My Thing.” The song encourages women to surpass expectations and defy stereotypes, and make no apologies while doing it: If you are expecting me to give you an apology / For being nothing that you used to, used to / Well go on right ahead and wait / Hold your breath and concentrate / Keep holding till your face turns blue.

Song Number 3: Fixing Her Hair – Ani DiFranco

In “Fixing Her Hair,” DiFranco tells a story of a woman changing herself for a romantic relationship: She bends her breath when she talks to him / I can see her features begin to blur / as she pours herself into the mold he made for her. DiFranco is hoping for a revolution, and reminds all listeners to stay true to themselves and demand their worth.

Song Number 4: Girl in a Country Song – Maddie & Tae

Teenage songwriting duo Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye used their debut single to challenge the popular “bro” themes in country music: Like a girl in a country song / How in the world did it go so wrong? / Like all we’re good for / Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend / Nothing more. “We cannot live up to those expectations,” Maddie said about the stereotypes of women today’s chart-topping hits.

Song Number 5: Girl on Fire – Alicia Keys

“Girl on Fire” celebrates strong, passionate women. Keys sings about a girl who enthralls everyone around her with her strength: Everybody stares, as she goes by / ‘Cause they can see the flame that’s in her eyes / Watch her when she’s lighting up the night.

Song Number 6: Hero – Mariah Carey

Deemed by many as her signature song, Mariah Carey’s “Hero” reminds audiences of the strength that lies within them: So when you feel like hope is gone / Look inside you and be strong / And you’ll finally see the truth / That a hero lies in you. Carey receives letters from listeners who have realised they can be their own heroes after hearing to the song. “That’s an unexplainable feeling,” Carey said in an interview with Fred Bronson. “Like I’ve done something with my life. It meant something to someone.”

Song Number 7: His Hands – Jennifer Nettles ft. Brandy Clark

Jennifer Nettles’ “His Hands” begins as a story of love and passion, before turning into a story of abuse. “When you start to hear the second chorus, you realise: ‘This is a completely different his hands on me than I originally thought,’” Nettles said. Written as a duet between two abused women, they express the promises their abusers made, and encourage each other to get out: Yeah I should have known better when the last three times he swore / that he would never lay another finger on me but the truth’s on my face.

Song Number 8: I Love Myself Today – Bif Naked

In “I Love Myself Today,” Bif Naked sings about making the decision to leave an unhealthy relationship. Once alone, she falls in love with herself and realises she will survive: I love myself today / Not like yesterday / I’m cool, I’m calm / I’m gonna be okay!

Song Number 9: Keep Holding On – Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne’s song “Keep Holding On” is about supporting people going through troubling times. Lavigne sings about staying strong when situations look inescapable: I’ll be by your side, you know I’ll take your hand / When it gets cold / And it feels like the end / There’s no place to go / You know I won’t give in.

Song Number 10: On Fraternity – Default Genders

James Brooks of Default Genders wrote “On Fraternity” to call out rape-culture, and his male peers who support a system where other people are victims. “This is a song about why it is worth fighting fearlessly against a patriarchal world where women are second class citizens,” Brooks said.

Song Number 11: Play On – Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood believed “Play On” would be an anthem for people facing adversity or hard times. “Whenever stuff goes wrong, you’ve just got to get up in the morning and you’ve got to play on, finish your song, finish what you started, even when things don’t look good,” Underwood told AOL’s The Boot about the song’s lyrics: Cause you’re going to make mistakes / It’s always worth the sacrifice / Even when you’re wrong / Play on.

Song Number 12: Remember That – Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson’s “Remember That” acknowledges the pattern of abuse that many women experience: When your phone keeps ringing all night long / And that same old weakness gets so strong that you’re helpless / Remember that. Simpson tells her fans that they deserve better, and encourages them to leave abusive relationships.

Song Number 13: Rescue – Yuna

Malaysian-born singer songwriter Yuna wrote “Rescue” for a friend who overcame hard times and came out happier and stronger: She said a little prayer, she found herself / Yeah she’s got light in her face / She don’t need no rescuing / She’s okay. “I wrote about all the song women in my life,” Yuna said. “I just wanted to celebrate that strength.”

Song Number 14: Suggestion – Fugazi

The 80’s punk band wrote “Suggestion,” the anti-rape and anti-harassment anthem, from the perspective of a female. The song challenges the idea that a woman’s body exists solely for the male’s gaze: Why can’t I walk down a street free of suggestion? / Is my body my only trait in the eyes of men? Concerned the song would not resonate with women if sung by men, Fugazi had Amy Pickering sing the emotional song in concert.

Song Number 15: Try – Colbie Caillat

In this empowering song, Colbie Caillat urges women to be true to themselves instead of trying to “belong.” She also challenges women to answer the question: maybe they like you when you try so hard to fit in, but do you like you?

Song Number 16: Who Says – Selena Gomez

In “Who Says,” Gomez encourages her listeners to feel beautiful in their own skin. She sings about her own imperfections: I’m no beauty queen / I’m just beautiful me. “I hope that the song really inspires my fans to embrace who they are,” Gomez said.

16 Ways of Preventing and Intervening in Child Marriages

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Carol Olson

The practice of child marriage–matrimony before age 18–continues to disproportionately affect girls in certain cultures and communities with significant consequences to their education, health, and social life. Child brides have little say in when or whom they will marry, have little influence with their husbands and in-laws, have little opportunity to develop awareness of their rights, and are in no position to claim or demand them.

These large age gaps reinforce power differentials between girls and their husbands. Girls who marry before age 18 are more likely to experience violence within marriage than girls who marry later. Girls may lack the power to negotiate safer sex and have little access to information or services to prevent either pregnancy or infection. According to Girls Not Brides, girls under the age of 15 are 5 times more likely than women in their twenties to die during childbirth. Married girls are also more likely to have multiple children in shorter intervals and more likely to become disabled due to pregnancy or childbirth. Stillbirths and deaths during the first week of life are 50 percent higher among babies born to adolescent mothers than among babies born to mothers in their twenties. Children of adolescent mothers are also more likely to be premature and have low birth weight.

Governments are now recognising the importance of addressing child marriage and integrating societal changes to meet the UN Millennium Development goals. Supporting girls in avoiding child marriage, delaying having children, and finishing school brings opportunities for skills and income to eradicate poverty for future generations. Promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women ensures girls get choices as to when they marry and whom. Reducing child/forced marriage will reduce child mortality and disability related to child/teen pregnancy or childbirth. It will also improve maternal health which will reduce vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

Though the practice of child marriage is rooted in tradition and culture, neither culture nor tradition is immutable and there is hope for change. This list presents 16 ways you can join in the efforts to end the practice of child marriage and influence change to ensure a better future for young girls and boys around the world.

Written and compiled by Angelique Mulholland with additional content by Regina Yau; Introduction by Carol Olson

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #1: Educate Girls

According to UNICEF, one in three girls in low- to middle-income countries will marry before the age of 18. Many studies have shown that it is more than likely that a girl who marries as a child will come from a community where education for girls is not valued. She will more than likely be illiterate and will have little to no understanding of her human rights. Girls having access to both primary and secondary education will improve their chances of access to employment and a means of supporting themselves and then in turn their families. It is important to reach out to communities and help challenge traditional and discriminatory views on access to education. INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: Tostan, a women’s human rights charity based in Senegal, runs outreach programmes which educate community elders and decision makers about the importance of educating young women.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #2: Empower Girls

In many countries where child marriage is prevalent, girls are often seen as economic burdens. Girls in households where boys are favoured often have low self-esteem and little confidence. Dr Ashok Dyalchand, who works at the Institute of Health Management, Pachod (IHMP) in India, has conducted a research project on teenage girls living in rural areas of India. Using the Rosenberg scale, he measured the self-esteem of young girls and found that the lower the self-esteem, the higher the risk of child marriage. Dr. Dyalchan found that empowerment programmes for young girls are key to preventing child or early marriage by improving both their sense of self and self-efficacy through informing girls of their basic human rights, their legal right to refuse a marriage, and education programmes on health and sex education. Small scale studies have shown promising results from his programmes that make girl empowerment its central strategy – the mean age of marriage of 14.5 years old has risen to 17 years old.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #3: Educate Parents

Some parents from traditional communities believe that child marriage is a way of protecting their daughter: providing for her economically so she will be taken care of; safeguarding her from harassment and sexual violence before she reaches puberty, and preventing premarital sex which is still taboo in many countries across the world. Unfortunately, families often do not know the negative and harmful effects of early child marriage, including pregnancy at such a young age which can lead to many complications as a girl’s body will not be ready for childbirth. Such parents will benefit from being educated on the very serious harmful effects of forced early childhood marriage. INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: In Zambia, Chief Nzamane of the Mfumbeni tribe works with THE parents of girls who are at risk of being sold for lucrative dowries. He understands the financial pressures on families and finds way to help them stay financially secure without needing to force their daughters, in his words, into “lifelong trauma.”

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #4: Mobilise religious leaders and community elders

Religious elders and community leaders – nearly always men – are the decision makers in communities where early or child marriage is prevalent. Engaging and educating these powerful men is key to changing the attitude of a community on childhood marriage. INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: Tostan’s Community Empowerment Programme focuses on engaging local elders and religious leaders and educating them on the harmful effects of traditions such as child marriage on communities as a whole. Once they are knowledgeable, Tostan will hold educational sessions with the whole village including the parents of high-risk girls and the girls themselves. As a result of these sessions, throughout Senegal villages have declared an end to some harmful practices including child marriage.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #5: Support Adolescent Girls Who Are Already Married

Although the focus is on communities preventing child marriage, young girls who have already married also need support. As well as being isolated and having less chance to complete or continue their education, child marriage can put young girls at a higher risk of violence in the home- sexually, physically and psychologically. INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: CARE has run a successful project in Ethiopia which has focused on supporting child brides. The TESFA project (meaning “Hope” in Amharic) focuses on educating child brides of their rights and providing them education on their reproductive rights, contraception and healthcare. The holistic approach giving all members of the community a chance to discuss the benefits of supporting child brides and the best ways in which to do it, has resulted in some very encouraging results over a three-year period.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #6: Support Legislation Against Child Marriage

One of the most powerful tools that anti-child marriage organisations and women’s rights activists and advocates have been campaigning for is for governments in countries such as Yemen where child marriage is prevalent to make child marriage illegal by raising the legal age of marriage to the minimum age of 18. If you live in one of these countries or communities, start supporting efforts to get such legislation passed by supporting the efforts of these organisations and activists including participating in community campaigning activities organised by them such as petitions and demonstrations. Where there are such legislations and laws in force but have trouble gaining traction over entrenched traditions, help prevent child marriage by notifying the relevant authorities or agencies about any child marriage may be taking place in your neighbourhood or community. Ditto if you live in countries with large immigrant communities that practise child marriage.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #7: Advocate for Women as Community Leaders

In many communities that practise child marriage, women are often kept out of the decision-making processes and are not allowed a voice in local politics. It is vital that women are able to voice their concerns and advocate for women’s rights in all spheres as this is often what accelerates the elimination of harmful traditions such as child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: Tostan trains women in leadership skills and advocacy. 80% of their Community Management Committees are coordinated by women and this gives them the vital skills and confidence needed to engage in local community meetings. As a result more and more women throughout Senegal and other areas where Tostan works are being seen, heard, and having a positive impact throughout local communities.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #8: Provide Relevant Economic Support

Inter-generational poverty is often the most prevalent reason cited for forcing girls into early marriage. Families may know about the harmful effects of child marriage, but may be forced to marry off their daughters as the dowry payment from the marriage of an older sister might be essential in ensure the survival of younger children. Providing economic support to families may be a way of helping parents who do not want to their daughters to get married early. INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: The Berwan Hewane project in Ethiopia found that providing a family with a goat or a sheep for refusing to marry off an underaged daughter helped parents stand firm on that decision. In certain cultures and communities, this provision of livestock can mean the difference in the survival and longevity of a family; providing this much-needed resource to a family trapped by poverty gives them more options, including refusing to marry off underaged daughters.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #9: Get Informed and Take Action

If this is the first time you have become aware about child marriage, one of the first steps you need take is to understand the issue do more research and learn about the human cost of this harmful practice as there are painful consequences of child marriage. Get informed and knowledgeable on the subject, then proceed with learning more about international, governmental, and grassroots efforts in your community and worldwide that are focused on the prevention and intervention in child marriage. Then, armed with that information and knowledge, decide how you can best support their efforts with your resources and skills, then reach out to the relevant activists and organisations and start taking action.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #10: Talk about it

As with the wider human rights issue of Violence Against Women, child marriage is still a taboo subject; talking about it will help to educate societies across the globe about the harmful effects of child marriage. Many people, particularly in Western countries, are hesitant to criticise cultural practices as they are worried they will be perceived as racist or xenophobic. Standing up for the human rights of children should never be perceived as a negative act. Talk about it with your family and friends, share information on your social media forums and be passionate about ending child marriage today.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #11: Men and Boys – Please Speak Out!

Like in every area of ending violence against women, men and boys are central to challenging gender norms and changing deeply entrenched traditional practices like child marriage. There would be no child marriage if men in affected communities did not choose to marry children. It is therefore vital that men are educated on the rights of girls and how early marriage can be harmful to her health and happiness and destructive to the family unit. We need men everywhere to speak out against discrimination and violence towards women and girls. INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: In Morocco, a Maths teacher named Mohammed Baddi runs educational projects with Fondation YTTO, a Moroccan women’s rights organisation in the Amazir communities based in the Atlas mountains. He teaches young girls that; they can achieve more than the wife/mother status society affords them: “They are not machines, just meant to sew or to bear children.”

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #12: Take A Pledge

On 22 July 2014 something extraordinary happened: In a school in South London, UK, David Cameron, Malala Yousafzai, and hundreds of development professionals and representatives around the world pledged to end Early, Child or Forced Marriage (ECFM) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as part of The Girl Summit. 700 million other people did so too. The Girl Summit, co-hosted by UNICEF, is the first initiative of its kind that aims to accelerate and mobilise efforts to end FGM and ECFM within a generation. You can make your pledge here and add your voice to the chorus of millions by Facebook or Twitter. Do it today!

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #13: Sponsor a Girl Child

Sponsoring a child in a developing country has been a longstanding way for donors around the world to support underprivileged and vulnerabble communities in order to break the cycle of violence, poverty, and illiteracy. Donating a small amount of money each month to a child with charities like Plan International can help girls who are vulnerable to child marriage. Education is one of the greatest preventatives of child marriage and studies have proven that the longer a girl stays in school, the less likely she is to marry or become an underaged mother. In some developing countries education is not free and families cannot afford to send their child to school and if they do, male children are given priority. By sponsoring a girl child each month you can help pay for their school fees and help her get the education she needs to avoid child marriage and to map her own path in life.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #14: Support Anti-Child Marriage charities and organisations

There are many amazing charities which are implementing some incredible campaigns to put an end to child marriage with encouraging results. Why not support them? Grassroots projects often desperately need support to keep going and your time or money can truly make a difference. To start you off, here are three major grassroots organisations working tirelessly every day to put an end to child marriage: Girls Not Brides, Saarthi Trust and Tostan. If you would like to find out more about other charities working to end child marriage, our 2013 16 for 16 article that lists out 16 prominent anti-child marriage nonprofits and charities is a good starting point.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #15: Support Obstetric Fistula campaigns and organisations

Fistula is a common problem for adolescent girls giving birth for the first time. A fistula can occur during an obstructed labour, often when access to emergency care is unavailable or limited. Obstructed labour is an agonising process and girls/women often struggle in pain until the baby dies in the birthing canal. There is often a loss of circulation that causes tissue to die, leaving large gaps between the birth canal and bladder or rectum, causing incontinence. This is not only painful for new mothers, but it can also cause social isolation and acute psychological distress. According to Freedom from Fistula Foundation, an estimated 2 million women in Africa suffer silently with an obstetric fistula. Supporting this charity and others doing similar work in the field is a natural first step in helping many victims of child marriage from the maternal healthcare approach.

Way to Prevent Child/Forced Marriage #16: Support Artists, Photographers, and Journalists who Raise Awareness About Child Marriage

Raising awareness about the issue is vital because child marriage has been hidden away for centuries and needs to be publicly addressed by the community in order to end the daily suffering of adolescent girls and the continual violation of their human rights. One way of doing so is to support and share the work of journalists, artists, photographers and activists to help raise the plight of child brides. INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE: Stephanie Sinclair is a photographer who started capturing images of child brides over 9 years ago. Stephanie sought to highlight the lives of girls forced into marriage in her photographs in a bid to raise awareness. Her work has now been internationally recognised and has been used as a conversation-starter about child brides.

Nujood Ali, former Yemeni child bride, after her divorce. Photo Credit: Stephanie Sinclair

Transforming Personal Pain Into Positive Action: The Pixel Project’s 16 Female Role Models 2014

Posted on November 25, 2014 by regina

Today is the first day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence 2014 campaign and The Pixel Project is kicking things off with our 5th annual list of 16 female role models fighting to end violence against women in their communities. The intent of this list is simple: to highlight the good work of the heroines of the movement to end violence against women wherever they are in the world. The women and girls in this year’s list hail from 18 countries and 4 continents.

Many of these astounding women have shown that it is possible to transform personal pain that came out of facing gender-based violence into positive action to stop violence against women, to empower themselves and to show other survivors that it is possible to move forward with dignity and happiness. They have refused to let bitterness and pain get the better of them, opting to stand up for themselves and for other women instead. Indeed, we are very happy to note that the extraordinary girls’ education activist, Malala Yousafzai, who was one of our Female Role Models of 2012 has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Well done, Malala!

Others on this list may not have experienced gender-based violence inflicted on themselves, but they have stepped up to do what is right: to speak up for women and girls who cannot do it for themselves, sometimes at great personal risk. All this requires immense courage, generosity of spirit and a strong enduring heart.

Without further ado, here, in alphabetical order by first name, is our 2014 list of 16 female role models. Sadly, two of the role models on this year’s list (Angelica Bello and Efuo Dorkenoo) have respectively died in 2013 and 2014. Few people outside the anti-Violence Against Women movement may have heard of them and we hope that the general public will learn something about their extraordinary life’s work via this list. We hope that they and the rest of the women here will be an inspiration to others to get involved with the cause. To that end, we hope you will generously share this list via Facebook and Twitter to give these extraordinary 16 women and their work a moment in the sun.

Note: Information for all role model profiles is sourced via online research and is based on one or more news sources, articles and/or The Pixel Project’s own interviews with them. The main articles/reports from which these profiles have been sourced can be directly accessed via the hyperlinked titles as well. Please do click through to learn more about these remarkable women.

– Regina Yau, Founder and President, The Pixel Project

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Female Role Model 1: Angelica Bello – Colombia

Angelica Bello founded the National Foundation for the Defence of Women’s Human Rights (Fundación Nacional Defensora de los Derechos Humanos de la Mujer, FUNDHEFEM) to protect women survivors of sexual violence in Colombia’s long-running armed conflict. In 2013, she participated as a spokesperson of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in a meeting with President Santos to push for women’s voices to be heard in the debate about the ‘Victims and Land Restitution Law,’ which is designed to ensure land misappropriated during the conflict is returned to its rightful owners and to provide reparation to victims. She asked the President to implement measures to provide psychosocial support to victims, including survivors of sexual violence. Bello died under suspicious circumstances in late 2013 after enduring years of violent retaliation for her work.

Female Role Model 2: Anita Sarkeesian – Canada and the United States of America

Anita Sarkeesian is the pop-culture media critic who made headlines when she launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to support her production of a video Web series called Tropes vs Women in Video Games, which explores female stereotypes in the gaming industry. Her feminist critique of the gaming industry has garnered an ongoing vitriolic online backlash, including threats of death, sexual assault and rape, most recently escalating to hounding her out of her home and forcing her to cancel an event at Utah State University due to the threat of a mass gun massacre. Undaunted, Sarkeesian says: “I feel like the work I’m doing is really important […] the actual change that I am starting to see, the really sweet messages that I get from people about how they were resistant to identify as feminist, but then they watched my videos […] the parents who use it as an educational tool for their kids…all of this is really inspiring to me.”

Female Role Model 3: Dianna Nammi – Iran and United Kingdom

Diana Nammi started the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) in her home in 2002 to provide advice and counselling for women from Middle Eastern, North African and Afghan communities in the UK. Since its founding in 1996, IKWRO has grown into a 16-staff organisation that takes thousands of phone calls and helped 780 women face-to-face in 2013. Nammi is a former Peshmerga fighter who has been fighting for women’s rights since she was a teenager growing up in Iran. Since moving to the UK in 1996, she has been instrumental in the campaign to bring honour killers to justice in British courts as well as striving to get forced marriages banned in the country.

Female Role Model 4: Efuo Dorkenoo – Ghana and the United Kingdom

Efua Dorkenoo, affectionately known as “Mama Efua”, is a Ghanaian campaigner who fought against the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) for decades. When she was a nurse and midwife-in-training in the 1960s in England, she encountered a woman in labour who had undergone FGM. The woman was so badly scarred that she was unable to deliver her baby through natural childbirth. Due to that encounter, Ms. Dorkenoo became a public health specialist and dedicated the rest of her life to educating the public about the effects of FGM and to ending its practice. Dorkenoo died from cancer in October 2014, leaving a lasting legacy of anti-FGM work.

Female Role Model 5: Emma Sulkowicz – United States of America

Emma Sulkowicz is the Columbia University senior and visual arts major who has committed herself to toting around a mattress until the school expels the fellow student who raped her or he leaves on his own. Sulkowicz started doing this in August 2014 to make a statement about campus sexual assault when Columbia University allowed her rapist to stay on campus. Sulkowicz has made her unusual campaign the basis of her senior thesis – “Carry That Weight” is part protest, part performance art, and has helped rejuvenate the nationwide conversation about campus sexual assault. On 29 October 2014, the first #CarryYourWeight Day was launched in the U.S. and college students and anti-Violence Against Women activists carried mattresses and pillows everywhere to signify their solidarity with victims of rape and sexual assault.

Female Role Model 6: Ikram Ben Said – Tunisia

When Ikram Ben Said took part in the Arab Spring’s first uprising in 2011, she knew that it was the beginning of the struggle for women’s rights in Tunisia. So she created Aswat Nissa (Voices of Women) – the first women’s rights organisation in Tunisia to involve Tunisian women politicians regardless of where they fall of the political spectrum. “Laws can change the mentality,” says Ben Said. “So we have to work with politicians.” Through Aswat Nissa’s campaigns and activities, Ben Said has worked to encourage more women to vote, train women politicians about governance, push back against laws that discriminate against women, and to educate communities that “you can be Muslim and advocate for women’s equality. It’s not against Islam.”

Female Role Model 7: Khadijah Gbla – Sierra Leone and Australia

Anti-Violence Against Women activist Khadijah Gbla is a survivor: she endured female genital mutilation (FGM) at age 10, survived civil war in Sierra Leone, witnessed the murder of her father at 13, spent three years with her mother and younger sister in a Gambian refugee camp, and endured domestic violence from a man just 3 years her senior. Since migrating to Australia, she has channelled what she learned from her horrific experiences into positive education and support for other women. She has campaigned against FGM, started Khadija Gbla Consulting: a motivational speaking, cross-cultural training and consulting firm and also launched Chocolate Sisters – a series of workshops for young which will address issues such as body image, domestic violence and FGM.

Female Role Model 8: Laxmi – India

When Laxmi was 16, an angry suitor threw acid on her face while she waited at a bus stop in New Delhi’s busy Khan Market, disfiguring her permanently. Her attacker deliberately used the acid to destroy Laxmi’s face after she refused to respond to his advances. Instead of hiding herself in shame, Laxmi became the standard-bearer in India for the movement to end acid attacks. She campaigned on national television, and gathered 27,000 signatures for a petition to curb acid sales. Her petition led the Supreme Court to order the Indian central and state governments to immediately regulate the sale of acid, and the Parliament to make prosecutions of acid attacks easier to pursue.

Female Role Model 9: Dr. Maha Al-Muneef – Saudi Arabia

Dr. Maha Al-Muneef is a dedicated public advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Saudi Arabia. She founded the National Family Safety Programme in 2005 to combat domestic violence in Saudi Arabia, where activists have been campaigning for an end to the “absolute authority” of male guardians. She is an advisor to the Shura Council in Saudi Arabia. As a physician, she has worked with hospitals to change protocols for victims of rape and abuse, helped to create new police procedures for handling cases and develop special training programmes for medical personnel and law enforcement.

Female Role Model 10: Malalai Joya – Afghanistan

Malalai Joya earned her reputation as the “bravest woman in Afghanistan” when she, as an elected delegate to the Loya Jirga (an assembly to debate the proposed Afghan constitution), stood up and publicly criticised the room full of male politicians for allowing fundamentalist warlords too much power. Later, a mob gathered where she was staying, threatening to rape and murder her. She won a landslide victory when she ran for parliament in 2005, the youngest person to be elected, only to be kicked out after she compared the house to a “stable or zoo” in a TV interview. She says: “The situation for women is as catastrophic today as it was before. In most provinces, women’s lives are hell. Forced marriages, child brides and domestic violence are very common. Self-immolations are at a peak.”

Female Role Model 11: Manisha Mohan – India

The horrific gang-rape and murder of Jyoti Singh Pandey in New Delhi in 2012 was a tipping point for 22-year-old engineering student Manisha Mohan, who decided to put her engineering studies to practical use by inventing an unusual new anti-rape defense system for women in India – an electric bra called Society Harnessing Equipment (SHE). The bra contains a pressure sensor connected to an electric circuit that can generate a 3,800 kilo-volt shock, which is severe enough to burn a potential rapist. The moment its pressure sensors get activated, a built-in GPS also alerts the police. The pressure sensor has been calibrated for squeeze, pinch and grab; the force applied in a simple hug does not activate the device. There is also a switch so the woman can activate the system herself when in a dangerous location.

Female Role Model 12: Marie Claire Faray – Democratic Republic of Congo

Marie Claire Faray is an activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo who campaigns to end violence against women, especially in her home country. As a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, she continues to work and advocate to get women from all backgrounds to hold their government to account for women’s rights and to have their ideas and opinions heard and accounted for. She said: “[U]ltimately, in 2020, we want to look back and say “we have at least achieved this in this country” — for example “in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we have achieved more women in parliament, the end of violence against women, the end of sexual violence.”

Female Role Model 13: Mussurut Zia – United Kingdom

Mussurut Zia started getting involved in anti-violence against women work when she developed a project for disadvantaged women and children. She said: “These people were suffering sexual and domestic abuse. So I started to look at empowerment. It needed more than empowering people to leave their circumstances. They had to be able to survive on their own and believe that they didn’t have to sit there and take it. No matter what culture you come from abuse is wrong.” In 2007, she set up a community organisation, Practical Solutions, which raises awareness of forced marriage, honour-based violence and much more. As a director of the Muslim Women’s Network UK, Mussurut was recently asked to provide insight into the subject of Jihadi brides. Her next project is to go into schools to talk to children about the laws related to marriage and where to go if they find themselves in a forced situation.

Female Role Model 14: Pragna Patel – United Kingdom

Pragna Patel is the Director and founding member of Southall Black Sisters (SBS), a landmark organisation in the history of black and Asian feminism in the UK. For over thirty years, SBS has been at the forefront of violence against women of colour in Southall and nationwide. They provide general and specialist advice to black and minority women on gender-related issues such as domestic violence, sexual violence, forced marriage, honour killings and their intersection with the criminal justice, immigration and asylum systems, health, welfare rights, homelessness and poverty.

Female Role Model 15: Rosi Oroczo – Mexico

Anti-slavery activist Rosi Oroczo, president of the nongovernmental Commission United Against Human Trafficking and a member of the 61st legislature, is the driving force in overcoming strong resistance and winning passage in 2012 of a tough new law to combat human trafficking throughout Mexico. Passed on June 14, 2012, it brings all Mexican states under the same extensive measures for prevention and punishment of trafficking. It grants increased powers for police and judges, granting anonymity and protection for victims, while providing new funding for rehabilitation projects involving them. Orozco believes the answer to end human trafficking “begins with individuals caring about other people, noticing what’s going on in their neighborhoods and being willing to face up to traffickers and drive them out. We all have to refuse to tolerate this crime against humanity any longer.”

Female Role Model 16: Safia Abdi Haase – Somalia and Norway

Somali-born Safia Abdi Haase is the first immigrant woman to receive Norway’s prestigious order of St. Olav for her work with women and children. She said her campaigning was based on her experiences of domestic abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, domestic violence and sex trafficking. “I had to use my own body so that I could come out of Africa to come to Europe to give my three daughters life without violence,” she said. Ms. Haase had no formal education when she arrived in Norway. She put herself through primary and secondary schools, eventually obtaining a university degree in nursing. She has helped formulate the Norwegian government’s action plan against FGM and is regarded as an ambassador in the drive to combat violence against women.

The Pixel Project's "16 For 16" Campaign

The Pixel Project's annual campaign featuring 16 articles about Violence Against Women in honour of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence

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