Challenge To You: Change Perceptions
Working alongside open minded individuals and speaking with activists and advocates of social change often makes me forget that unfortunately such people are a minority in our community.
Recently I’ve met more and more people who after learning about the website are left a bit bewildered or uncomfortable. Some people give me a confused look and ask “Why would someone stay in an abusive relationship to begin with?” while others make light jokes. Yes, jokes. But I believe not out of maliciousness, but because they themselves don’t know how to speak about the subject.
As past blog entries have reflected before, I believe one of the crucial ways to fight against domestic violence is not just concentrating on giving resources and providing aid to survivors, but to focus on the cause of the problem, which most often is as simple as pure ignorance.
Let us know about your experiences/ideas about speaking to others about the topic in the comments section!
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Dr. Elora Chowdhury Speaks About Her Experiences in the Acid Violence Movement and Her Current Research on NGO Politics and Women’s Activism
Dr. Elora Halim Chowdhury is an Assitant Professer of Women’s Studies at the University of Massachussets. Her teaching and research interests include critical development studies, third world/transnational feminisms, globalization and women’s organizing in Bangladesh. She has worked with various philanthropic/development organizations in Bangladesh and the U.S. The title of her current book project is Transnationalism Reversed: Engaging Development, NGO Politics and Women’s Organizing in Bangladesh.
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Survivor’s Story - Triumphing Against the Legal System
I received the following e-mail from a survivor a few weeks ago who wanted her experience to be heard. The recently posted article (posted below) regarding the abysmal quality of the
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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.
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Abused Women See Danger in Family Court
A recent report* released by the Voices of Women Organizing Project depicts how insufficient the U.S. court system is in dealing with domestic violence cases and bringing justice to survivors.
Some of the facts presented are extremely dishearterning:
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Family courts traumatize battered women and hand child custody to their abusers 37% of the time
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About 30% of women said they felt unsafe in the courtroom, and 40% felt unsafe in waiting areas.
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67% of the women could not afford copies of court transcripts, leaving them unsure of how accurately the official records reflected the proceedings.
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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
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Creating A Safer Community
Across the U.S. , up to 3 million girls and women will be physically abused this year.
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.
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Why Do They Stay?
One of the main questions that often arises in the discussion of domestic violence issues is why do women remain in abusive relationships to begin with? A lot of people can’t understand why someone would willingly stay in a situation which brings them constant danger and pain and often partially place the blame on victims for not speaking out or leaving.
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Domestic Violence Against Men
One of our readers pointed out an important point that men are often victims of violence at the hands of their partners as well.
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Co-Founder of Manavi: Dr. Shamita Das Dasgupta
Shamita Das Dasgupta is a cofounder of Manavi, Inc, one of the first domestic violence organizations in North America which focuses on gender abuse in the South Asian community. She has published numerous articles in the women’s empowerment field and written many books regarding domestic violence issues, including The Demon Slayers and Other Stories: Bengali Folktales (1995, Interlink Books), A Patchwork Shawl: Chronicles of South Asian Women in America (1998, Rutgers University Press), and Body Evidence: Intimate Violence against South Asian Women in America (2007, Rutgers University Press). She is currently an adjunct assistant professor of clinical law at the NYU Law School.
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“They Didn’t Take Me Seriously”: A Depressing Yet Reoccuring Truth of Domestic Violence
Today I came across this devastating story about a 15 year old Pakistani girl in 
Read the rest of this entry »
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International Women’s Day
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy International Women’s Day. I encourage all of you to take this day to learn more about all the initiatives and actions being taken to promote global women’s rights. Check out the official website International Women’s Day 2008 to learn more about events going on in the world and how to get more involved! I encourage you to share your ideas and thoughts!
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