Today's guest is Dr Emma Fulu, the Founder and Director of the Equality Institute and we will be discussing the global perspective of preventing violence against women.

The equality institute is a global feminist organization that is dedicated to promoting gender equality and ending violence against woman. They bring together research, policy work and strategic communication to stop violence against women all over the world.

As a woman of color she always thought of issues about gender and race. Studied gender studies and international development. She started working at the ministry of gender and worked on research regarding violence against women. She came across the World Health Organization and reached out to them who then helped her through the process.

Emma lead the first preventative national study of violence against women in the Maldives. From there she developed a variety of domestic violence legislation. Moving  to South Africa was her next step, to work on another big movement of preventing violence against women. Then moved back to Australia and started her own organization to bring a more holistic approach to ending violence against women. She has seen that violence is preventable and that everyone can benefit when we all have equal rights.

Emma shares when she was working on that first study in the Maldives that she had a lot of support and was surrounded by highly educated, passionate, and committed women, making it a group effort. Once she completed her study she saw changes made in legislation and the health systems response. Emma and her compatriots were able to find tangible evidence in a way that people can’t deny.

The research shows that there are a variety of challenges that are associated with violence against women and the big driver is gender inequality. It’s a complex problem that requires the community as a whole to address it. There is global recognition that it’s a problem which requires quite a bit investment and we are not quite there yet.

There is a lot of change with progressive movements like Me Too but there is also a lot of backlash against it as well.

Change can be difficult since people don’t like to feel as if they are wrong or bad. Instead we need to change the norms with new and positive ways to be and showcase how it can benefit others as well. This has been to be shown to be the more effective approach for change.

Men’s experience of violence in childhood contributes, in part, of their own use of violence against women. This ties into their idea of masculinity and what it means to be a man.

The Equality Institute does a lot of research to understand the causes of violence against women, what programs and policies are effective and how can they apply them to other governments and agencies all over the globe.

They have even seen reductions of intimate partner violence against women by 50% in 3-5 years through a program in Uganda called Sasa. They facilitate conversations in the community level over a long period of time.  Discussing power, which is a topic everyone can relate to. Now they are looking to see how they can apply that method to other countries.

For those women out there who are experiencing violence one of the first things to understand is that it’s never your fault and you are not alone. There are many people out there who would want to support you.

Second, tell someone you trust about your experience and find support. Then you can start to make a plan and figure out what steps to make in your particular situation. You know what would be best and it’s important to get support.

For those who witness the signs of abuse, reach out to them and ask about it in a kind and gentle way. Be a kind and nonjudgmental supporter to the person.

For those who are looking to help the mission, the first tangible, realistic steps you can take is to study and learn about violence against women. Look for different course and areas of study like women’s study, gender studies, public health. You can volunteer or get an internship with an organization. Find ways to get involved with your community. Look into your local university, feminist groups or start your own. You can run for office and get into politics. Think about the daily conversation you have with people around you and call out sexist behavior.

Her core message is that “violence is preventable that we all have a role to play and we will all benefit from an equal and just world”

Equalityinstitute.org

Instagram @theequalityinstitute

Women’s March Youth Empowerment toolkit

https://www.womensmarch.com/empower/

The program in Uganda

http://raisingvoices.org/sasa/