by Tabitha Peyton Wood Claudine lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was forced to drop out of secondary school when her father died and she had to start working. Soon after that she met her husband and they had three children together. But he abused her and she left. One evening she was …
Tag: vaw
Day 11 of 16: An insufficient response to violence against female migrants in Accra, Ghana
by Samantha R. Lattof, AWC Berlin member “Why was she beaten? Did she steal something?” asked the triage nurse as we arrived in the Accident Centre. I was well aware of the stigma and insults that female kayayei migrants experience in Accra; it was a common theme that arose in the interviews we conducted. But …
Day 9 of 16: A US Caseworker’s Experience with GBV
by Jennifer Padfield, AWC Berlin member The United Nations Development Fund for Women estimates that at least one of every three women globally will be beaten, raped, or otherwise abused during her lifetime. In most cases, the abuser is a member of her own family.[1] Simone is a twenty year old woman with two children …
Day 8 of 16: RAINN … every 109 seconds
by Carolyn Stransky, AWC Berlin member Every 109 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Meanwhile, only six out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison. These are the statistics that the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) has been battling for over 20 years. RAINN is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the …
Day 7 of 16 – The Power of Language: How the V-Word Changed My Life
by Allegra Silbiger, AWC Berlin member There was no word for the most private parts of me when I was growing up. On the surface, we were a progressive household, with left-leaning politics and generous yearly donations to Planned Parenthood. The obligatory copy of “The Joy of Sex” was there for all to see on …
Day 5 of 16: When domestic violence hits close to home!
by Karen Castellon, AWC Berlin member One evening, while travelling on a business trip, I happened to be browsing the internet and saw in my local hometown news that a woman had been strangled to death by her husband during a dispute over their impending divorce. The police, called by the couple’s only child, arrived to arrest the …
Day 4 of 16: The Story of JACK
by Karen Castellon, AWC Berlin member What is human trafficking and who are its victims? Human trafficking is the exploitation of men, women, and children who, through force or deception are made to work, for example, in prostitution, catering or agriculture. In addition, other forced illicit activities include trafficking in organs, lured by the promise …