Addressing gender-based violence
On December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the United for All coalition met to hear from experts on the intersections of extremism and gender-based violence (GBV).
Dr. Laurie Samuel, founder and executive director of Cupid’s Sting, set the conversation by showcasing how Black women are often invisible in conversations about gender-based violence, because of the intersectionality of their identity.
Following Dr. Samuel’s introduction, Sawsan Al Refaei, the City of Ottawa’s Women and Gender Equity Specialist; Erin Lee, Executive Director of Lanark County Interval House and Community Support; and Susan Namulindwa, founder and director of Maama Watali, a Black-led non-profit focusing on supporting Black women and their families, shared their perspectives on how systems need to change to prevent violence against women.
“Survivors are not just victims; they survive because they’re resilient and because they have power within them.”
- Sawsan Al-Refaei
Sawsan, Erin, and Susan discussed:
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The unique rural context around how women experience violence: how geography directly relates to social and physical isolation, limited transportation options, unreliable internet and phone service, higher gun ownership.
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The stigma that exists in newcomer and racialized communities around reporting violence for fear of interactions with police.
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The early warning signs and risk factors that show up for both gender-based violence and extremism.
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Community-wide strategies around advocacy, building awareness, changing attitudes, and funding the right interventions to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
The key takeaways were:
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Building strong community networks 365 days a year is critical to building trust, so if and when violence happens, support systems already exist to help women in crisis.
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Ensuring survivors and people with diverse identities are involved in planning the responses to violence.
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Raising awareness and changing attitudes to prevent gender-based violence requires tackling colonialism, anti-Black racism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression simultaneously.
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Addressing violence does not need to be complicated: every one of us can call out violent behaviours when we see them to change the cycle.
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Economic abuse and instability are key factors that keep women in violent situations, so violence prevention must also involve creating paths out of poverty.
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Teaching healthy relationship patterns and engaging youth in changing the narrative will pay off in the future.
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