Today's guest is Dr. Emma Fulu, Founder of the Equality Institute, a global feminist organization dedicated to promoting gender equality and ending violence against woman.  We will be discussing how they utilize research, policy work and strategic communication to stop violence against women all over the world.

As a woman of color Emma always thought of issues about gender and race. She focused on gender studies and international development which led her to work at the Ministry of Gender, creating research about violence against women. While creating her research she came across the World Health Organization and reached out to them.  Since they were working on a similar topic, they helped her with her research.

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

Emma shares, during that first study in the Maldives that she had a lot of support and was surrounded by highly educated, passionate, and committed women, who came together, making it a group effort. Once she completed her study she saw changes made in legislation and the effects on the health systems. Emma and her compatriots were able to find tangible evidence in a way that people couldn'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. Violence against women has global recognition that it’s a problem that requires quite a bit investment which hasn't been made yet.  There have been a lot of changes with progressive movements like Me Too along with a lot of backlash against it.

Change can be difficult, especially if we come from a place of telling people that they are "bad" or "wrong".  Instead we need to change the conversation to focus on creating new and positive ways to be.  To showcase how it can benefit them along with the society at large.  This has been shown to be the more effective approach for change.

Men’s experience of violence in childhood contributes, in part, to 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. This change was created by facilitating conversations about power, a topic everyone can relate to,  at the community level over a long period of time.  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 want to support you.

Second, talk to someone you trust about your experience. Then you can start to create a plan and figure out what the steps you need make in order to better your situation. You know what's best and it's also important to get outside support.

For those who witness the signs of abuse, reach out to individual and ask about it in a kind and gentle way. Look to be a 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 and public health.

You can volunteer or get an internship with an organization. Find ways to get involved with your local community through universities, feminist groups or even start your own. You can run for office and get into politics. Also start thinking 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

Sasa, the program in Uganda