VAWnet News Blog

– Trigger Warning – Sexual violence is a serious issue in Brazil due to a lack of public policies, and it stems from a lot of other issues. In my case, my mother suffered, too. She wasn’t sexually abused, but she suffered physical violence. She had to work to provide for us. When she saw she could be safe with a man, she didn’t want to lose the security he brought home because of us. If these issues are tackled through awareness sessions, girls could have a different future. Over time, I’ve learned to forgive my mother, and we have a good relationship now.

Looking back, she feels that her mentality of “work hard and defy the odds,” her biggest strength on the basketball court, was her biggest weakness at home. At Safe Horizon, we know that Bolton did not contribute to the abuse perpetrated against her: Abuse is a choice an abuser makes and is never the fault of the victim.

Sometimes a workplace is the only safe space victims and survivors have. I know, because work literally saved my life. What can you do to make sure your workplace is a safe space for those who are victims or survivors? You can be flexible, for starters. If you suspect or are certain that someone you work with is a victim of DV or IPV, cut them some slack.

collective of over 50 black activist organizations released a detailed policy platform on Monday outlining a plan to “advance black liberation” that includes education reform, reparations and abolition of the death penalty.  […]

We know that sexual violence affects every nation, population, and culture. But conflict and displacement can heighten vulnerabilities and diminish protective factors, increasing refugees’ and asylum seekers’ risk of experiencing sexual violence while decreasing or interrupting their access to vital survivor services.

In the indigenous Xinca society of Xalapan, men often kidnap and rape young girls before marrying them, Lopez said, and for about a decade, the local women’s group had been campaigning to end this trend.