Valiant Voices

This final episode of Valiant Voices marks a powerful transition.

Three weeks ago, Global Rights for Women formally merged with BWJP—bringing together two organizations rooted in survivor-centered advocacy, systems change, and the belief that justice must be both local and global.

In this conversation, GRW’s Founder and Executive Director Cheryl Thomas joins BWJP CEO Amy Sanchez to reflect on:

• Why now was the time for this historic merger

• How GRW’s international mission will expand within BWJP

• What this means for survivors, advocates, and partners around the world

• The real challenges—and the deep alignment—that made this possible

• What comes next in this shared movement for justice

This is the final episode of Valiant Voices, but the work continues. Going forward, you’ll find the same bold, thoughtful conversations on Taking Back Control, BWJP’s podcast dedicated to ending gender-based violence through survivor-centered solutions.

We invite you to join us there—because the mission is only growing.

To stay connected:
bwjp.org

The exploitation and abuse of animals is fundamentally related to the domination and abuse of women. Research has shown there is a direct link between cruelty to animals and abuse of people. People who abuse animals are five times more likely to engage in domestic violence, child abuse and other violent behavior impacting communities. The people who abuse both animals and people also share a common mindset of entitlement to subjugate, oppress and exploit based on a belief of superiority.

Almost half (48%) of victim-survivors experiencing domestic violence will not leave the relationship if it means leaving their pet behind. Additionally, abusers use this leverage to further coerce and control their partners, as 89% of survivors said their partners threatened, harmed or killed their animals. From that perspective, there are many connections to be made with animal rights and the anti-gender-based violence movements, including pushing for pet-friendly laws and policies that support survivors of violence. Join us for a conversation about current innovations that address this particular barrier to justice for animals and human victims of violence.

Presenters: Madeline Bernstein, Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (SPCA-LA), Orazie Cook, Pralines Backyard Foundation, Jennifer Polzin, Tubman

Moderator: Patricia Cumbie, Global Rights for Women

When most people think of torture, they think of violence perpetrated during war or conflict by armies or agents of the state on combatants. Though it is not common to call out gender based violence as torture; frequently, it is exactly that. Gender-based violence, particularly domestic and sexual violence, is the world’s most prevalent crime against women. Because this violence usually occurs in private, rather than by state actors, the level of abuse and terror experienced by victims is minimized and obscured.

Presenters: Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald, co-authors of Women Unsilenced, Our Refusal to Let Torturer-Traffickers Win, Silvia Marino, UN Working Group On Gender-Based Violence as Inflicted by Non-State Actors

This conversation will center around African activists, leaders, and changemakers in the field of women's rights, focusing on their perspectives on gender equality and systematic approaches to addressing gender-based violence (GBV). This dialogue is crucial; voices from the global south, particularly African women, are often silenced or marginalized despite their historic legacy of championing women's rights. We aim to uncover untold stories of how African women and women's organizations have tackled GBV in their communities. Whether through establishing culturally sensitive shelters, empowering women with services and support, or forming coalitions of NGOs to advocate for governmental action, these efforts highlight diverse and effective strategies that promote human rights.

Presenters: Mary Balikungeri, Director and Founder of Rwanda Women Network (RWN), Christina Ruhinda, Executive Director of the Tanzania Network of Legal Aid Providers (TANLAP), Injeri Wa Migwi, survivor and CEO of Usikimye (Don’t Be Silent)

Moderator: Kampe Rushoka, Chuck Green Fellow, Macalester College

Patriarchy is a system of male dominance with the abuse of women deeply woven into all cultures. Societies and institutions need to address patriarchy as a system that benefits men as a group--going beyond dealing with problem individuals or “toxic” behavior. Not every man experiences power and privilege the same way, yet legal and social policies reinforce and perpetuate social attitudes that able-bodied cis-gender men are superior, with the expectation that women, gender-expansive people and the most marginalized are to relinquish power over their lives and conform in public and private spaces. Men engaged in dismantling patriarchy and challenging the gender binary will discuss at this event how they’ve interrogated the beliefs they learned as children, and how it has informed their current professional work seeking to end injustice.

Eight in 10 survivors of domestic violence cite financial abuse as their primary barrier to leaving an abusive relationship, and 99% of them experience it. The average survivor has access to only $300 in assets. That’s why financial dependence as a means of controlling partners, through withholding money and controlling credit, employment and assets is so effective. The impact of economic abuse on self-sufficiency can become a lifelong struggle, impacting where someone may live and work, get credit (or not), support child-parent relationships and sustain good health. 
Far too often, people individualize recovery from financial abuse as a household or budgeting issue. Yet systemic policies and practices, including racial and gender inequities, and cultural norms about money management, make people doubly vulnerable to economic abuse from both the (former) partner and institutions. It’s imperative that systems advocates, workplaces, and banks understand the seemingly invisible dynamics of intimate partner economic abuse, and how changing practices that result in unequal power dynamics can give survivors the economic empowerment they need to lead lives free from violence.

The phrase “trauma-informed” is being used more and more commonly, but there is a longstanding misunderstanding of the trauma faced by victims of sexual assault. Historically victims have been blamed for what happened to them, specifically for not fighting back, which has been routinely used in court as evidence of consent. But when we better understand what trauma does to the brain, then we can better understand that freezing is one of the brain’s primal survival techniques. In this way, becoming “trauma-informed” is the first step toward responding with the care and compassion that victims deserve.

In this conversation with survivors and professional advocates, we will talk about what individuals and systems can do to practice survivor-centered, trauma-informed responses that respect and support those who have experienced sexual violence.

This episode was recorded live via Zoom on January 23rd, 2024.

Domestic violence and access to firearms are a lethal combination. Abusers with guns are five times more likely to kill their female victims, and threats with weapons reinforce power and control dynamics in intimate partner relationships. The effects of firearms and domestic violence impact more than individuals and families directly involved. Over half of the mass shootings in the past decade are perpetrated by domestic abusers, raising the stakes for community safety. Pew Center Research has shown 57% of teenagers have elevated anxiety and fear in schools, and one-third of adults are fearful of going to events and retail stores. Domestic violence, so intertwined with gun violence, restricts both the freedom of individuals involved, and creates an atmosphere of fear in community civic life.
To add even more urgency to this issue, the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing the United States v. Rahimi case in early November, to determine whether a person subject to a domestic violence protective order should have a constitutional right to keep their firearms. In this conversation with survivors of domestic violence, professional advocates, and researchers of deadly intimate partner violence will talk about risks to victim-survivors and firearms, the possible impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Rahimi case, and how the intersection of guns and domestic violence can be addressed.

Nationwide, women’s state prison populations grew 834% over nearly 40 years, more than double the rate of men. Women are currently the fastest-growing prison population, yet their trajectory to penitentiary is much different. Incarcerated women experience higher levels of prior victimization than men, and much more extensive gender-based violence than non-incarcerated women. Prior victimization, specifically childhood sexual and physical abuse, are nearly universal experiences for women prisoners, leaving them vulnerable to situations that persuade, force or trick them into criminal activity.

The criminal justice system rarely considers how a history of gender-specific abuse and resistive violence or other offenses are interconnected. This panel will discuss their work advocating for the rights of criminalized survivors, their lived experiences with prisons and the criminal justice system, and how gendered abuses make women more vulnerable to incarceration. This conversation will also address what gender-sensitive and trauma-informed understanding and interventions can disrupt this injust pathway to prison.

Conflict zones always result in high levels of gender-based violence against women and girls, including greater risk of unplanned pregnancy, maternal mortality and morbidity, and severe sexual and reproductive injuries as a result of conflict-related sexual violence. The breakdown of political, economic and social structures also leave those most vulnerable to violence with limited or no access to healthcare, education or political decision-making. Yet women and girls have historically acted as human rights defenders, and are active agents in both formal and informal peacebuilding and recovery processes. Join our esteemed panel addressing gender based violence in conflict situations, including current hot spots Ethiopia, Haiti and Ukraine, to hear about their work advocating for women’s human rights and how the international community can support survivors and respond to gender-based violence in conflict areas. 

This webinar was recorded live via Zoom on February 28th, 2023.