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Survivors of sexual violence are a voting block that elected officials should answer to. And yet, survivors by and large are not seen as experts or go-to leaders for how to keep our communities safe and families thriving—which could not be further from the truth.
As survivors of sexual violence, we carry immense political weight. By mobilizing against sexual violence, we can help protect, uplift, and contribute to the healing of our communities.
Go to “Nonpartisan Vote Toolkit” to download me too. International’s Nonpartisan Voter Toolkit.
The ‘metoo.’ International resource database offers a comprehensive healing resource library consisting of local and national organizations that provide safe spaces for survivors of sexual violence.
Go to https://metoomvmt.org/resources/, click “Healing Resources” and type in your zip code in the search box for resources nearest to you.
LGBTQIA+ organizations offer education, advocacy, and training that respond to the multi-faceted needs of LGBTQIA+ survivors.
Go to https://vawnet.org/sc/organizations-focused-dv-lgbtq-communities
Choose any of over 15+ organizations working to end sexual violence in LGBTQIA+ communities.
Women of color, especially Black women, may experience trauma from sexual violence as well as trauma stemming from systemic racism. Because racial trauma and trauma from sexual violence may occur together, counseling and therapy services that acknowledge the complexity of these systems in perpetuating violence are critical to meeting the needs of survivors of color.
Local Providers for Black Girls and Women https://providers.therapyforblackgirls.com/
Local Providers for Latinx Individuals https://latinxtherapy.com/
Additional Therapy Directory Resources for People of Color https://www.justdavia.com/blog/directories-for-therapists-of-color
“Journey on: Survivors Healing from Sexual Abuse and Assault” https://www.journeyonpod.com/
“Latinx Therapy” https://latinxtherapy.com/podcast/
“Therapy for Black Girls” https://therapyforblackgirls.com/podcast/
“The Trauma Therapist” https://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcasts/
National Sexual Violence Resource Center Podcasts https://www.nsvrc.org/podcasts
Reproductive justice is survivor justice
Co-authored by the Survivors’ Agenda Coalition
This moment is not about pro-life vs. pro-choice. It is about power and control. The potential overturn of Roe v. Wade isn’t just about denying legal and safe abortions. This decision, if made final, will open the door to more rollbacks on reproductive and gender-affirming care, including birth control, family planning, and privacy rights. Its rippling effects will be to the detriment of all groups and sectors, and will most deeply impact LGBTQ+, trans, Black and Brown communities, and working-class communities.
Reproductive justice, as defined by SisterSong, is the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, and plan and raise families in safe and sustainable communities. Survivor justice imagines a world where survivors are believed and resourced to heal. Survivor justice imagines a world free from sexual violence through the consistent commitment to agency, autonomy and consent. The fight for reproductive justice and survivor justice are intricately interconnected as both are working to advance a world abundant with care, resources, and choices.
- Of the 18 million women who will experience rape in their lifetime, 16.67% or 3 million women* will have a rape-related pregnancy (RRP). *This statistic is likely low and does not include non-binary or other birthing people who have experienced sexual assault or RRP. Source: CDC: Understanding Pregnancy Resulting from Rape in the United States
- Those that experience intimate partner rape are more likely to experience rape-related pregnancy.Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine: Rape-Related Pregnancy and Association With Reproductive Coercion in the U.S.
- 30% of women raped by an intimate partner experienced reproductive coercion (i.e. attempts to impregnante a birthing person against their will, control outcomes of a preganancy, contraception interference, etc.) by that same partner.
- People in abusive relationships who are denied an abortion are more likely to sustain contact with their abuser over time and be subjected to further violence. For more highlighted statistics, refer to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center
- Intimate partner violence prevalence is higher among abortion patients than among women who continue their pregnancies. Source: American Journal of Public Health
- This moment is painstakingly triggering for survivors who are all too familiar with stolen consent and the violation of bodily autonomy. The fight for reproductive justice and survivor justice are intricately interconnected as both are working to advance a world abundant with care, resources, and choices.
- Survivors have already had their sense of safety and control violated. Being forced to carry a pregnancy to term after assault can be increasingly harmful financially, psychologically and, sometimes, physically, further diminishing their agency.
- Illegal abortion with the exemption of rape and incest, renders survivors vulnerable to the repeated trauma of being forced to disclose, and bear the burden of proving their assault in order to gain access to a quality abortion. Not having the option of terminating a pregnancy makes recovering from assault even harder.This is a direct attack on our healing.
- Rape and incest exemptions are deplorable. It communicates that birthing people only have a right to their bodies once they’re violated. Survivors are not exemptions.
- Rape and incest exemptions also place the burden of proof on survivors who may already be distrustful of the justice system. It could potentially elongate waiting periods if protocols are put in place to prove the assault, making gestational limitations more likely.
- Intimate partner violence often looks like rape, stealthing (non-consensual condom removal), contraceptive and birth control sabotage, and unwanted pregnancy. For survivors of such harms, illegal abortion:
- Poses a double threat to their livelihood by binding them to their perpetrator and keeping them stuck in a harmful situation
- Forces them to disclose in order to access safe abortions, which could also put them at greater risk if they are feeling trapped inside of an abusive situation
- Places a heavier burden on survivors who will need to travel and resource a legal abortion without the knowledge of their abuser
- Limiting abortion access will only worsen America’s preexisting sexual assault problem
- Survivors have been calling for “universal, quality health insurance that ensures that comprehensive coverage is available for short- and long-term health consequences of sexual violence, including reproductive health care (including contraception and abortion) and mental health care, at no cost.” –Survivors’ Agenda healthcare section
- If agency and body autonomy is central to our definition of liberation, abortion denial is another way to oppress birthing people and the future of our communities.
- Research suggests that when political parties take ownership of reproductive rights issues, as the Democratic Party did with the #MeToo Movement in 2018, they can attract higher levels of support overall. But survivors will not be used as political pawns during election seasons. Survivors carry political weight, and we will leverage that weight to hold political leaders accountable.
- Repro Justice is Survivor Justice Teach-In
- June 14th Caravan to TX, LA, MS (PPFA, WM, MoveON, Ultra, Liberate Abortion)
- June 18th-19th Black Bodies for Black Power in DC (BFF & SisterSong)
- Donate to Black Feminists Fighting Abortion Bans and Advancing Reproductive Justice
- Donate to abortion funds to remove logistical barriers to this fundamental human right: https://abortionfunds.org/
- Reproductive Justice & Violence Against Women: Understanding the Intersections
- If You Really Care About Preventing Domestic and Sexual Violence, You Should Care About Reproductive Justice!
- Democrats are losing White women. Will repealing Roe bring them back?
- Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Among an Abortion Clinic Population
- How the Texas ban on most abortions is harming survivors of rape and incest
Resources from our partners
Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) is a national civil rights organization dedicated to protecting and expanding economic and educational access and opportunities for women, girls and people of other marginalized gender identities. ERA enforces civil rights laws in court, engages in policy advocacy, provides free legal advice and community education, and partners with other advocacy organizations to combat sexual violence at school and in the workplace through policy reform campaigns. ERA’s Initiative to End Sexual Violence in Education features the nation’s first pro bono network of volunteer attorneys that provides free legal help to student survivors of sexual violence. ERA’s online policy library provides information on bills that have been introduced and laws that have been enacted throughout the country related to fair pay, sexual harassment protections, and other economic security issues. The policy library also provides additional tools for advocates who want to pass gender justice and economic justice bills in their own communities, including fact sheets, research, legislative analysis, and supporting materials for legislative efforts.
Futures Without Violence provides programs, politics, and campaigns that empower individuals and organizations working to end violence against women and children around the world. The organization trains healthcare professionals, judges, and athletic coaches on improving responses to violence and abuse, while working with advocates and policy makers to build sustainable community leadership. The Futures Without Violence website provides key statistics on the prevalence of domestic violence in the United states, violence and young people, and the consequences of violence. Their fact sheets provide information on violence against women, dating violence among teens, perpetrator risk factors, and workplace safety and inequality. Futures Without Violence’s policy and advocacy fact sheets highlight the areas in which current legislation does not protect survivors, and includes information on guns and domestic violence, international gender-based violence, military violence, and the Violence Against Women Act.
Girls for Gender Equity is an intergenerational organization that uses education and organizing to encourage communities to remove barriers and create opportunities for girls and women. The organization provides programs that develop strengths, skills, and self-sufficiency in women and girls, and creates organizing campaigns to achieve safety and gender equality in the community. The Girls for Gender Equity website provides resources on sexual harassment and the ways in which Title IX fails to fully address sexual harassment in schools. The organization also engages in participatory action research on the impact of sexual harassment in schools. Their report The School Girls Deserve documents how girls, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth of color are pushed out of schools, and provides policy recommendations for schools and school stakeholders on how to create a safer and more affirming space.
Justice for Migrant Women engages in policy and administrative advocacy, educating lawmakers and government officials about the issues that pose a threat to the safety and security of migrant women. The organization raises awareness about gender-based violence against migrant women at work, in their homes, and in migration through public awareness and educational campaigns. The Bandana Project in particular addresses the issue of workplace sexual violence against farmworker women in the United States and helps raise awareness of the problem while displaying solidarity towards these women. Justice for Migrant Women is currently engaged in advocacy work related to the BE HEARD in the Workplace Act, the federal Children’s Act for Responsible Employment and Farm Safety (CARE) Act, and local efforts related to anti-discrimination and anti-violence.
The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) is composed of leaders from statewide anti-sexual violence organizations, local rape crisis centers, and prominent national advocates and works to educate the policy community about federal laws and legislation that impacts the fight to end sexual violence. The organization assists federal agencies to develop policies that are trauma-informed and survivor focused, and provided leadership on the Violence Against Women National Advisory Committee. Their current legislative priorities include reauthorizing VAWA, increased funding for the Sexual Assault Services Program and Rape Prevention Education Grants, and securing funding for tribal services from the Victims Crime Fund. The NAESV also issues statements addressing current policies, including supporting protests against racial violence and requesting increased funding to rape crisis centers during COVID-19 so that local organizations can meet the increased demands for services during the pandemic.
‘me too.’ International focuses on helping survivors access resources and build a community of advocates that will create solutions to interrupt sexual violence within the community. The organization offers community organizing resources and supports advocates working within their communities to develop actions that address each community’s specific needs. The ‘me too.’ website connects survivors to local healing resources that provide assistance and connects survivors to each other, resources for survivor advocates, and toolkits to get involved in your community. At the national level, ‘me too.’ works to shift the narrative around sexual violence, centers survivors and their healing, and provides ways for supporters to take action in their communities.
The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) works for the respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, and is made up of more than 60 affiliate organizations. NDWA recognizes that domestic workers were deliberately left out of many the labor laws that govern today’s workplace, including minimum wage and protection against sexual harassment. The organization is working with members of Congress to introduce a National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which would establish and enforce rights for millions of domestic workers and would create protections for the unique challenges of domestic work.
The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) is a social change organization that is dedicated to creating a social, political, and economic environment in which gender-based violence does not exist. The organization works to make domestic violence a national priority, strengthen domestic violence advocacy, and change the way society responds to domestic violence by addressing both the causes and consequences of domestic violence. NNEDV recognizes that domestic violence is linked to a variety of policy issues, and their website provides information on the Victims of Crime Act, Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and VAWA. The organization’s policy issues page provides resources on policies that affect children and young adults, access to healthcare, gun violence, housing, and immigration.
The National Partnership strives to improve the lives of women and families by achieving equity for all women. Their focus is on health and economic justice for those who face the greatest barriers to equity and opportunity, and specifically on advancing gender and racial equity in the workplace, improving access to quality and affordable health care, and promoting reproductive freedom and justice through access to contraception and abortion care. The National Partnership’s website provides information on sexual harassment, health and reproductive care, including abortion access, contraception, current attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and maternity care. Their online resource library is fully searchable, and supplies fact sheets and information in multiple languages on current policies affecting gender equity.
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) fights for gender justice — in the courts, in public policy, and in our society — working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. We use the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society and to break down the barriers that harm all of us — especially those who face multiple forms of discrimination, including women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income women and families. For more than 45 years, we have been on the leading edge of every major legal and policy victory for women. The Center’s website contains resources on all of these issues, explaining how current policies fail to protect vulnerable groups. The National Women’s Law Center Fund also houses and administers the Legal Network for Gender Equity and the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. These project connect people facing sex discrimination and harassment in the workplace, in school, or when trying to get health care with attorneys. The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund also can also help pay for legal fees and media assistance for select cases of workplace sexual harassment. You can learn more about these services here.
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United) is a nonprofit organization fighting to improve wages and working conditions for restaurant workers. The core of the organization’s focus is to provide training and professional development opportunities to restaurant workers, facilitating upward economic mobility, while also educating employers and providing the tools to reduce harassment and advance racial and gender equity. ROC United advocates for restaurant workers to be paid a living wage and to receive non-wage benefits such as paid sick and vacation leave, child care, and healthcare. The Raise the Wage Act of 2019 would raise the federal minimum wage for all workers to $15 an hour by 2024. ROC United provides information on the impact of sexual harassment within the restaurant industry, which is addressed through the proposed Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (BE HEARD) in the Workplace Act by expanding anti-harassment protections to more workers and making it easier for survivors to report harassment claims. Outside of Congress, ROC United fights to end racial wage gaps in the industry, enforce fair and just scheduling practices, and increase funding for employment benefits like access to child care and support for survivors.
Rise trains organizers to create their own civil rights and campaign to achieve legislative reforms. The organization’s campaigns include working to pass the Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights in all 50 states. This law would acknowledge survivors’ right to equality under the law, the right to informative rape kit procedures and notifications, the right to survivors’ advocacy, the right to terminate all legal ties with their assailant, and the right to the retention of all rights even if the assault is not reported to the police. These goals are also included in their campaign to have a United Nations General Assembly Sexual Violence Survivors’ Rights Resolution, which would enshrine survivors’ rights as fundamental human rights.
Survivors Know is new non-profit, member-based organization committed to developing the leadership of survivors of sexual violence and harassment. We empower survivors to organize for transformative culture change in their workplaces, which they believe to be the path to culture change in society. Survivors Know seeks to change the national conversation on ending rape culture and sexual harassment by centering the role and expertise of survivors and pushing for accountability and structural change over short-term shaming and backroom deals. In support of their leadership development and organizing work, Survivors Know is advancing a workplace policy platform rooted in survivors’ own experiences that is an open-sourced and grassroots-centered process.
UltraViolet utilizes advocacy to improve the lives of women, girls, and all people impacted by sexism by disrupting the patriarchy and creating a cost for sexism. The organization’s work addresses all of the issues shaping our lives, including violence, reproductive rights, and racial justice. UltraViolet’s community of 1.2 million women and allies uses rapid response, media messaging, and coalition building to create awareness of the effects of gender-based violence and to advocate for justice for women of color, Indigenous women, and low-income women. Through collective action both online and in the streets, UltraViolet works to change cross-industry standards for sexual harassment and assault, exposing serial predators and forcing major corporations to overhaul their policies on domestic violence and sexual assault. Their major strategic initiatives include ending sexual harassment, defunding the anti-abortion movement, and ending sexist coverage and disinformation in the news media.
The United State of Women works to amplify and connect those voices advocating for gender equity. The organization holds a biennial Summit to convene activists, partners, and stakeholders across movements and issue areas. Their regional Galvanize events build off of the Summit and brings communities together to hear from local and national experts fighting for gender equity. The organization recently created a public service announcement to urge the Senate to pass the 2019 reauthorization of VAWA.
Women Employed seeks to improve women’s economic status and remove barriers to economic equity by effecting policy changes, expanding access to educational opportunities, and advocating for more fair and inclusive workplaces so that all women, families, and communities thrive. WE provides individuals with the tools to get involved as an advocate, including fact sheets and resources on programs and policies such as state-based financial aid for higher education, paid sick leave, fair scheduling, and sexual harassment. Their website connects you to explanations of your employment rights under both federal and Illinois state law, including laws that advance pay equity by barring employers from seeking information about your past wages and that protect pregnant employees from discrimination. The organization provides guidance on what to expect when you file an Employment Discrimination Charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as basic facts about the Family and Medical Leave Act.
As the largest network of domestic violence service providers in the United States, YWCA supports policies that serve as a practical solution to protecting survivors, holding perpetrators accountable, and eradicating all forms of gender-based violence. The YWCA supports the reauthorizations of the VAWA and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Reauthorization Act (FVPSA), and advocates the preservation (and increasing the cap) of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund. The YWCA’s mission is to empower women, and one of the ways in which it addresses gender-based violence is through the “Week Without Violence” movement. Each year, during the third week of October, YWCAs across the United States partner with WorldYWCA to create events and community service opportunities that address the intersectional and pervasive nature of gender-based violence within our communities. Events during the Week Without Violence may be public awareness exercises, workshops, and engaging the community in a dialogue about intimate partner violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and harassment.