“I’m independent now, I stand on my own two feet,” she says. “I have a job, I work, I earn. In fact, I’m living on my own … which isn’t an easy thing to do for a woman in Pakistan, for a lone woman to survive.”

 ~Urooj Akbar, survivor and beautician

These women show us how far strength can take you. I applaud not only these two women, but all you survivors out there who continue to be strong and accomplish all your dreams.

Bookmarks:

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/externalities-in-the-classroom-how-children-exposed-to-domestic-violence-affect-everyones-kids/#more-2894

The conclusions of the study proved to be quite disheartening:

• Kids exposed to domestic violence definitely do have lower reading and math scores and greater disciplinary problems.
• Effects of this dysfunction are not limited to the direct victims of this violence: kids exposed to kids exposed to domestic violence also have lower test scores and more disciplinary infractions.

*Article submitted by Pooja Trehan

Bookmarks:

• A recession can worsen the likelihood and scale of violence, as well as making it more difficult to leave a batterer
• A woman’s partner may be more likely to suffer from unemployment and depression, and may be more likely to become violent
• Distressed economic times increase the chance that a woman will feel forced to remain with her batterer due to housing costs or income concerns for herself or her children. *

The recession also decreases the amount of funding available to provide services and resources for survivors.  As active members of our community, it is our duty to create a safe environment, especially during unfortunate times.  But often we want to help the cause but are financially unable.

 However, there are always other methods to work towards ending domestic abuse.  Funding remains a key component, and every donation, no matter how small, is extremely helpful.  However, volunteering your time or even educating your peers or making your community more aware helps work towards preventing domestic violence.

 Your help and support is extremely crucial in these times and we hope all of you continue to lend your support in whatever way you can.

 We would also love to hear any suggestions or thoughts you have on how we can all work to sustian and grow non profit organizations’ work and outreach during these hard economic times.

*Source: www.wpusa.org

Bookmarks:

Let us know about your experiences/ideas about speaking to others about the topic in the comments section!

Bookmarks:

(more…)

Bookmarks:

***************************************************************

I can think of so many stories to write about and so much advice to give other victims of abuse from my own experience.  But I feel that I still have not fully healed to be able to venture into those dark memories again. But one thing I do want to speak about is how poorly my case was handled and how I felt almost wronged by the legal process.  Even now it is hard for me to go into full detail.

Many women, especially in our community, are too scared to report instances of abuse. I too was very scared for a while, but then one day realized that I could not allow fear to take hold of me and control my life any longer. 

(more…)

Bookmarks:

Some of the facts presented are extremely dishearterning:

• Family courts traumatize battered women and hand child custody to their abusers 37% of the time

• About 30% of women said they felt unsafe in the courtroom, and 40% felt unsafe in waiting areas.

• 67% of the women could not afford copies of court transcripts, leaving them unsure of how accurately the official records reflected the proceedings.

• About 15% said transcripts were not accurate.

Why are such conditions still present in our court system and what can we do to incite change?

*Article written by Alison Bowen from WeNews

Bookmarks:

Around the world, at least 1 in 3 women will either be physically or sexually abused during her lifetime.

Today, another woman will die. *

The most depressing statistic, which represents the harsh reality of domestic violence, is that 30% of Americans know a woman who reflects the statistics stated above.  And sadly, this number is probably higher for the South Asian community.

(more…)

Bookmarks:

(more…)

Bookmarks:

The roundtable was a public-private partnership between the State Department and corporations such as Avon, which has made money available to help women around the world empower themselves and seek justice. (www.cnn.com)

Rice: Justice for women must be priority (www.cnn.com)

Bookmarks: