DAY 16
Men Stopping Violence
When it comes to ending violence against women and girls, there are men ready to speak up and be allies. Due to patriarchal socialization, however, they might not possess the direction and language to do so. This is where the Georgia-based nonprofit, Men Stopping Violence, steps in. Through their internship program, training workshops, and community engagement activities, Men Stopping Violence works at both the personal and local level to dismantle social norms and create healthier relationships between men and women.
Men Stopping Violence not only helps men recognize and undo their own use of controlling and abusive behaviors against women and girls, but also provides training so that men can teach and lead other men in preventing gendered violence in their communities. In doing so, the organization aims to create male ambassadors who can challenge the current expectations of masculinity, hold each other accountable when it comes to prioritizing ending gendered violence, and listen to and respect women’s voices.
At the same time, Men Stopping Violence seeks to work in tandem with and enhance women-led organizations and other marginalized communities, rather than stepping on their leadership. Additionally, the organization makes an effort to work beyond the limiting notions that “some guys are good and others are bad” and that “some cultures are patriarchal and others are progressive.” Instead, Men Stopping Violence holds strong to the belief that violence against women is not a women’s issue, but instead is a human issue that affects all of us. By making the work of ending gendered violence the responsibility of the community, Men Stopping Violence is actively working towards a future in which women will experience less violence and be taken seriously by men, and that men themselves “experience a far more authentic and genuine connection with the women, girls, boys, and gender non-confirming communities in their lives.”
Training initiatives developed by Men Stopping Violence include Because We Have Daughters, meant to provide a safe and fun space for men to learn about the realities of their daughters’ lives; Tactics & Choices, which seeks to end domestic violence through education; and its half- and full-year long internship programs that provide men with the tools to take action against ending male violence against women in their communities.
Take Action:
To find out more, visit http://www.menstoppingviolence.org/ or check out their informational brochure here: http://www.menstoppingviolence.org/docs/MSVAConversation.pdf
To donate to Men Stopping Violence, visit: http://www.menstoppingviolence.org/donate
Connect with Men Stopping Violence on Twitter (https://twitter.com/MenStopViolence) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Men-Stopping-Violence/125256920848417).
DAY 14
FaithTrust Institute
For more than thirty-five years, FaithTrust Institute has worked tirelessly within religious communities to create a faith-based response to help women who have been subjected to domestic and sexual violence. Since religious leaders have a great deal of influence within the community that they work, and because people often look to them for support during times of crisis, FaithTrust Institute aims to educate faith leaders as to the best methods in assisting survivors and raising awareness of gender-based violence within their places of worship.
To accomplish their mission, FaithTrust Institute provides online materials and both generalized and specialized training tailored to meet the needs of particular religious communities. These training exercises include webinars, online courses, and in-person programs. Additionally, FaithTrust Institute provides consulting services to address gender-based violence prevention and intervention techniques in the context of religion and spirituality. All of these resources provided by FaithTrust Institute have helped faith communities to develop safe church policies, trained religious leaders to be first responders, and provided advocates new avenues for addressing “the spiritual and religious needs of survivors as they go through the crisis of seeking assistance from secular organizations.” These efforts have culminated in systemic change for the better.
Unfortunately, it is still difficult for many people to acknowledge that domestic and sexual violence are part of their faith community. Even when religious leaders are motivated to address and act against gender-based violence, it is just not financially possible for many faith communities to access all the resources necessary to fully address the complex nature of violence against women.
FaithTrust Institute is a 501c3 non-profit organization that benefits greatly from donations, no matter how small. Moreover, FaithTrust Institute encourages everyone to raise awareness and work towards ending gender-based violence in and outside their faith community.
Take Action:
To find out more, visit http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/.
To donate to FaithTrust Institute, visit, http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/take-action/donate-now.
DAY 12
Breakthrough
One of the great obstacles to ending violence and discrimination against women is the sense of distance the average person often feels from these issues. Many believe that “other people” are victimizers and victims, or that ordinary people cannot take action to address such a pervasive issue.
Breakthrough is an organization that attempts to combat this inertia, to break the bystander mentality that resists action and promotes silence. Violence and discrimination against women are problems that impact everyone. This India- and United States- based organization envisions a “Breakthrough Generation,” one that will make violence and discrimination against women unacceptable within our lifetimes. Breakthrough believes that it is important to change everyday conversation about violence and discrimination.
An important component of Breakthrough’s efforts is promoting men’s sense of responsibility for ending everyday discrimination against women. In the “Be That Guy” (#bethatguy) campaign, Breakthrough aired entertaining animated PSAs during the 2013 NASCAR Speedway Championship and the 2014 Daytona 500. These PSAs accessed a new, and very large, audience demographic. Forty-four percent of those who watched the animation in Miami reported that they were more likely to intervene in situations of potential violence. Breakthrough also recently produced a comedy show, “Dudes Against Violence Against Women.” While sexist jokes are an old comedy mainstay, a group of comedians decided to use their skills to appeal to their audiences, inspire other men to speak up for women, and hold themselves and their peers accountable.
Another important initiative is the Breakthrough Inspiration Awards, which this year honored a young woman named Tabbu. Tabbu participated in a Breakthrough program in her village, which uses interactive theater to help inform students about early marriage, and empower them to challenge this tradition. Tabbu then spent weeks arguing and negotiating with her father, ultimately convincing him to halt his plan to marry off her and her older teenage sisters. Tabbu and her sisters went on to attend college. Tabbu hopes to advocate social change in the future; today, she and her father work together to advocate against early marriage in their community.
It is everyone’s responsibility to challenge social norms, and reshape our communities to be fair and safe for everyone. Breakthrough is working to show members of all communities that they have a personal stake in ending violence and discrimination against women.
Take Action:
Speak up in your daily life. Changing the conversation is everyone’s responsibility. Share what you know, and stand up for what you believe.
Follow Breakthrough on Social Media
Want to dig deeper? Sign up for Breakthrough’s newsletter: www.breakthrough.tv
DAY 10
PEACE OUTside Campus
College, at its best, is a time for a breadth of positive experiences, encouraging academic and personal growth for students at a crucial juncture of their lives. However, it can also be a period of heightened vulnerability, during which too many students become victims of crime and violence. So long as crime exists, any person can become a victim. PEACE OUTside Campus, The Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation, aims to reduce the risk of victimization by abetting students’ and their families’ ability to protect themselves from crime.
This foundation was begun to celebrate and honor the memory of Lindsey M. Bonistall, who was murdered on May 1, 2005 in her off-campus housing apartment near the University of Delaware.
PEACE OUTSide campus spreads its message, in part, through peer-led programs. “Teens ‘N Transition” provides students with tools to protect themselves. “Identify the Risk” helps to identify risk factors and safety tactics for college students and parent groups.
A key component of PEACE OUTside Campus’s initiatives is its college internship program. These interns learn how to present information regarding the organization, Lindsey, sexual assault, abusive relationships, drug and alcohol abuse, safety tips, and crime data. These interns act as presenters for the organization’s programs.
Since its foundation, PEACE OUTside campus has reached thousands of high school and college students, and their parents. However, in the words of an organization representative, its work is far from over: “We remain steadfast in our belief that our success will be measured by the attacks that never occur, headlines that never appear, and the families who will have no cause to grieve.”
Take Action
Learn more about protecting yourself and others from crime: http://www.peaceoutsidecampus.org
or call 914-428-4411
Start a chapter at your college to promote safety awareness, or sponsor a program in order to inform members of your community: http://www.peaceoutsidecampus.org/programs.html
or call 914-428-4411
Consider donating here
Follow PEACE OUTside Campus on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peaceoutsidecampus
DAY 9
Legal Momentum
Gender bias, discrimination, and violence excessively disadvantage women. Despite great strides in recent decades for women’s progress, women continue to face obstacles to education and employment, pregnancy discrimination, and domestic and sexual violence. These factors contribute to worsened levels of poverty amongst women. An indispensible pillar of the effort to shield victims of violence and thwart future violence is the legal system. Legal Momentum strives to promote women’s economic security, to enable survivors of domestic and sexual violence to obtain justice, and to protect women’s access to equal opportunities in the workplace.
Formerly known as the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, Legal Momentum was founded in 1970 with a mission of drawing upon the law to advance women’s rights. Its efforts contribute the shaping and passage of the Violence Against Women Act, and help guarantee funding for the act each time it is reauthorized. The organization also cooperates with employers to develop workplace domestic violence policies.
Legal Momentum works to ensure women’s equal treatment in court, including developing the National Judicial Education Program (NJEP) to train and educate judges and other justice system professionals about the realities of sexual and domestic violence. Legal Momentum has also taken a lead in the effort to require schools to report on sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking, and improve prevention an response programs, by promoting the implementation of with Title IX and the Clery Act.
Legal Momentum is dedicated to making sure that policies and services reflect and address the realities of women’s lives.
Take Action:
Learn more: https://www.legalmomentum.org/about-us
Volunteer at https://www.legalmomentum.org/pro-bono-opportunities-legal-momentum
Attend a fundraising event https://www.legalmomentum.org/special-events
Donate at https://www.legalmomentum.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1
Follow Legal Momentum on social media: https://www.facebook.com/LegalMomentum
https://twitter.com/legalmomentum
DAY 5
The Women’s Refugee Commission
For the first time since the years following World War II, the number of refugees worldwide has exceeded 50 million individuals (UN Refugee Agency). The Women’s Refugee Commission is fighting to amend the discrepancy between the stake and perspective that refugee women, children, and youth have in protecting their own rights and futures, and their lack of access to the governments and policy makers who directly impact refugees’ lives.
The Women’s Refugee Commission works to address the vulnerability of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. Its mission is to create an environment in which refugee and internally displaced women are safe, healthy, and self-reliant; are secure in the protection of their human rights; and are able to inform and drive their own solutions and development. The Commission’s broad activities extend to advocacy, research, and fieldwork.
It is essential to the Women’s Refugee Commission’s mission to guarantee that women and youth have opportunities to take an active role in the shaping of their own solutions and development. It assures that women and youth are given opportunities to inform others and advocate for themselves through briefings, testimony, and participation in field assessments and international conferences. Enabling women and youth to be self-reliant is key to the commission’s activities. It promotes education and livelihood training; women’s ability to obtain sexual and reproductive healthcare; and women’s safe access to cooking fuel to provide meals for their families.
One of the Women’s Refugee Commission’s major successes was the passage of two UN Security Council Resolutions on women, which were aimed to help protect women and children in conflict settings. The commission also advocates for increased access to US immigration detention facilities.
Take Action
To find out more, visit: www.womensrefugeecommission.org, or contact info@wrcommission.org
To donate to the Women’s Refugee Commission, visit: http://wrc.ms/donate-wrc.
Follow the Women’s Refugee Commission on social media:
DAY 1
Gender based violence can be a profoundly isolating experience; it is based in the degradation of an individual’s personal human rights. During 16 Days, PROOF: Media for Social Justice will help to prove that gender based violence is not only a private tragedy, but a violation of fundamental human rights necessitating local, domestic, and international action to drive change.
Throughout the 16 Days, PROOF will feature an array of exemplary international, domestic, and local non-profits, each contributing in a variety of ways to the defense of women’s rights. These organizations are dedicated to helping survivors, stoking awareness, and/or promoting female solidarity and interconnectedness.
By linking together diverse organizations, PROOF will attempt to draw a connection between different facets of activism and action.
Show your support for the 16 Days of Activism by becoming an everyday activist. Learn about these organizations’ missions and work. Consider lending them your support. Gender based violence must be exposed as not only a private source of fear and suffering, but as a threat to society at every level. Stand up in solidarity against gender-based violence.
What are the 16 Days?
Since the movement’s foundation in 1991, over 5,179 organizations in approximately 187 countries have participated in helping to end gender-based violence. The 16 Days coincide with the days between International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25) and International Human Rights Day (December 10),
The 16 Days campaign’s mission is to support work combating violence against women, to rouse awareness of gender-based violence as a human rights issue, to generate pressure on governments to protect women from violence, and to create a common forum for gender-based violence issues and initiatives to be discussed.
Ending gender-based violence matters
An epidemic of violence
35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. (WHO’s Global and Regional Estimates of Violence Against Women)
Enduring consequences
Women who have experienced violence are disproportionately at risk for other afflictions; they are:
16% more likely to have a poor birth-weight baby
2x as likely to have an abortion
2x as likely to experience depression
1.5x as likely to acquire HIV
Reclaiming “normal”
Gender based violence is such a common human experience that it could almost be dismissed as inevitable, or even “normal.” The 16 Days of Activism, however, exists in part to remind us that governments and the everyday actions of regular people define the composition of ordinary life. For the 16 days of activism, PROOF will honor organizations on the vanguard, which labor to defend the belief that life free of gender-based violence is not a luxury, but a fundamental human right.
PROOF: Media for Social Justice- The stories that need to be told
To learn more about the 16 Days of Activism and gender-based violence, please visit: