Crime Victims Pay the Price to Balance the State Budget February 8, 2012

While everyone is sighing in relief and saying it could have been worse, no one is talking about the price that victims had to pay in order to get Oregon’s budget to where it’s at.  One big reason why Oregon’s budget outlook is as good as it is, is because of a $56 million punitive damages award.

Under Oregon law, punitive damages awards are supposed to be paid into the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account, which pays for services to crime victims.  However, state legislators have decided to change the law to suit their needs.

It’s been a whirlwind of decisions that have led to the reality that crime victim services will, in fact, likely see NONE of the money that is intended specifically for them.  After a decision by Attorney General Kroger, in which he declared that crime victim services only need $8.9 million (or barely 6% of the total award) – without even consulting with victim service providers – the Legislature has now announced that NONE of the money will go directly into the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account.

Here’s the breakdown of where the $56 million will go:

• $41.2 million will go to the General Fund
• $8.9 million will go to special purpose appropriations by the Emergency Board
• $6.1 million will go to the General Purpose Emergency Fund

It is extremely disappointing that our elected officials have decided not to honor the intent of the law and commit not even one penny to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account.  Crime victim services are overwhelmed and have been given short shrift in the State’s budget for years.  Now when there’s a chance to do right by victims, the Legislature once again puts victims’ needs last.

However, there is still a chance to do right by victims.

 

Here’s what you can do to help crime victims now:

1. Please contact Attorney General Kroger now and tell him to make a request to the Emergency Board to commit the $8.9 million in special purpose appropriations to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account and do right by victims!

Attorney General Kroger: Phone (503) 378-4400

 

2.Contact members of the Emergency Board now (especially if you live in their district) and tell them to use the $8.9 million for victims services as intended.

Senator Courtney, Co-Chair Senator Bates Senator Devlin Senator Girod Senator Johnson Senator Monroe Senator Nelson Senator Verger Senator Whitsett Senator Winters

Representative Hanna, Co-Chair Representative Roblan, Co-Chair Representative Berger Representative Buckley Representative Freeman Representative Hunt Representative Kotek Representative McLane Representative Nathanson Representative Richardson

Find legislator contact information: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

 

3. Even if your legislators aren’t on the Emergency Board, contact your legislators and tell them how disappointed you are in their decision to not honor the intent of the law and not commit any of the money for crime victim services as it was intended.  It is also important to share how this will impact victims and victim services in your area.

Find your legislator: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

 

4. Write a letter to the editor or an opinion piece for your local newspaper to shed light on this decision and the impact it will have on victims and victim services in your area.  The information about the intent behind this money and how it is being spent is not widely known, and it should be!  People should be concerned that if the Legislature decides to change a law for convenience then it opens the door for future decisions to be made in the same way.

Dear Oregon, Don’t Balance the Budget on the Backs of Victims – part 3 February 6, 2012

It’s a pretty sure thing that, if Oregon Legislators are able to make changes to the law, they will use the $56 million punitive damages award, which is intended for crime victim services, to help reduce the state budget deficit. The question is, will they use ALL of the money?

According to Oregon Revised Statute 31.375, 60% of punitive damages shall be paid to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account of the Department of Justice Crime Victims’ Assistance Section (the other 40% go to the prevailing party, if there is one). In order to use this money toward the state budget, legislators must first create an exception to or amend the current law regarding distribution of punitive damages.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Attorney General and state legislators have proposed allocating $8.9 million of the $56 million award (a meager %6 of the total award) to crime victim services. However, it is unclear whether or not crime victims services will even see that 6%. There has been talk of putting that $8.9 million into the state’s general fund instead of directly into the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account, which means it may never make its way on to crime victims services.

What’s even more disturbing is, despite the state receiving money SPECIFICALLY INTENDED for crime victim services, it may be that the budget for crime victim services is actually cut from its current inadequate level (read my earlier post about the overwhelming need for crime victim services). Just as all state programs are having to cut their budgets, current funding for crime victim services would also be on the chopping blocks. If crime victim services do not see any of the punitive damages award, then it will be unlikely that they would even retain current funding levels.

An editorial in Saturday’s Oregonian does a good job of summing up the situation:

“These are tough cuts, and to shield schools and vulnerable people from even deeper reductions, lawmakers have little choice but to take much of the tobacco damages and use it to staunch the bleeding in the budget. And there could be more bad news Wednesday, when the next revenue forecast arrives.

Whatever lies ahead, though, lawmakers should commit here and now to delivering the $9 million to the victim assistance programs. That minimal amount would uphold the spirit of Oregon law and help thousands of people who have suffered from violent crime. And it would show that this state, strapped as it is, has not hit bottom.”

We all understand the difficult economic times the state is in, but we should honor the intent of the money and use at least some of the money to support desperately needed services for crime victims.

Please contact your Oregon Legislators and urge them to put the $8.9 million directly into the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account, so it will be used for crime victim services as intended!

To find your legislator, visit: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

Dear Attorney General Kroger, Don’t Balance the Budget on the Backs of Victims February 1, 2012

An article in the Oregonian today reports that Oregon Attorney General John Kroger will sign on to a multi-state pact settling wrongful foreclosure charges against the five largest loan servicers. According to the Oregonian, “The proposed settlement would net the state $30 million and give Oregonians who believe they’ve been wronged during a foreclosure a check for up to $2,000. It would also set aside at least $100 million to help “underwater” homeowners with principal reductions and refinancings. Homeowners are considered underwater when the balance on their mortgage exceeds their home’s value.”

Now I get that $30 million is not as much as the $56 million coming to the state from a punitive damages award involving Philip Morris, but why has Attorney General Kroger not offered some (or most) of this settlement “to help the Legislature deal with the budget deficit,” as he has offered with the punitive damages award?

According to James Titus, Board Chair, and Teri Lorezen, Executive Director, of The Raphall House of Portland, “Oregon statutes direct that punitive damages payments be used to meet the needs of crime victims.” Yet, according to a source, in a communication to state legislators Attorney General Kroger indicated that crime victim services only need $8.9 million of the award (a meager 6% of the total award).  Keep in  mind, this amount is for services to victims of ALL crimes, not just domestic and sexual violence. Unfortunately, Attorney General Kroger made this determination without even consulting with victim service providers.  In slightly better news, an article today on Katu.com reported that “three legislators in charge of writing the state’s financial plan suggest taking three-quarters of the settlement” to help shrink the budget gap; leaving 25% for crime victim services.

However, as I have highlighted in a previous post, domestic and sexual violence victim services in Oregon are severely underfunded and overwhelmed. According to Titus and Lorenzen, “Since January 2009, more than 100 Oregonians have died as a result of domestic violence. At least 10 of these victims were children. Thousands more victims continue to survive, facing the difficult process of finding safety and rebuilding their lives…Investing in victim services saves lives and money. Victims of violence who have access to shelter and safety services after an assault are 60 to 70 percent less likely to be reassaulted in the following year. Children with access to shelter and healing services after abuse are much less likely to need drug and alcohol, mental health and other interventions as they grow up.”

I’m not actually suggesting that Attorney General Kroger use the $30 million settlement to balance the state’s budget. However, he shouldn’t be offering the $56 million punitive damages award either. I don’t think the Attorney General or the State should use money that is INTENDED FOR VICTIMS to balance the budget.

“Oregon has a responsibility to ensure that every victim who comes forward to seek help has access to lifesaving services. With the payment of the recent punitive damages award, we now have an opportunity to meet that responsibility. It’s the right, and smart, thing to do. We’ve been talking about this need for years, and now is the time to take steps to prevent and protect vulnerable Oregonians.” – Titus and Lorenzen.

Haven’t victims suffered enough?

Dear Oregon, Don’t Balance the Budget on the Backs of Victims January 22, 2012

Oregon is receiving $56 million from a punitive damage award from Philip Morris. Under Oregon law punitive damage awards are intended for the state’s crime victim’s fund, which helps fund crucial services in the state like sexual assault hotlines, domestic violence shelters, and victim counseling. However, according to an article in the Portland Tribune, “Part of the award will fund crime victims programs, but the Oregon Attorney General’s office says a majority will help the Legislature deal with the budget deficit.”

While there are many needs in the state budget, especially in the current economic climate, victim services have been severely underfunded for years and domestic and sexual violence service providers are overwhelmed by the need. According to a statement in the Portland Mercury by Raphael House, a local domestic violence shelter, nearly 23,000 requests for emergency shelter from violence could not be met in Oregon in 2010. Similarly, the Portland Women’s Crisis Line stated that they had “to tell 65 percent of callers that there was no shelter space for them, suggesting people fleeing violence instead hunker down in 24-hour-coffee-shops, the airport lobby, or hospital waiting rooms.”

Domestic violence accounted for 49 deaths in Oregon in 2010. Many victims return to their abusers when they are not able to find shelter or affordable housing. Perhaps some of these 49 deaths might have been prevented if there had been adequate resources for them to get help.

According to the 2005 report, Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Oregon Women, the costs of domestic and sexual violence injuries in Oregon exceed $50 million dollars a year, including medical and mental health care services and lost productivity from paid work. In addition to providing services to victims, most local domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers provide prevention and education programing in order to prevent domestic and sexual violence from happening in the first place. These prevention efforts reduce the costs to the state by keeping individuals out of emergency rooms, courts, and prisons.

Most domestic and sexual violence programs operate on bare-bones budgets. 50 community-based domestic and sexual violence victim advocacy organizations throughout the state split the approximately $3.7 million that is included in the 2011-2013 state budget (an average of less than $1.9 million a year) for the Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Fund, which is the primary source of state funding for domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. That is an average of $38,000 dollars a year per organization; hardly enough for one full time staff person.

Staff of Raphael House wrote an open letter to the state urging that the money go where it’s supposed to go, “Oregon has a responsibility to ensure that every victim who comes forward to seek help has access to life-saving services. With the payment of the recent punitive damages award, we now have an opportunity to meet that responsibility.”

Oregon is still waiting to see if the money will come through the legal challenge process, but it will be interesting to see what happens.

Why Primary Prevention Needs to Target Both Women and Men August 31, 2011

There’s been quite a positive movement over the past few years to engage men and boys in preventing violence against women.  Unfortunately I’ve begun to hear some whisperings that work with women and girls does NOT constitute primary prevention.  Here is why I absolutely think that primary prevention work DOES and MUST include work with women and girls (as well as others on the gender spectrum):

I had a great exchange with a male colleague the other day (thanks Grant) that reminded me of why it is so important that I take responsibility for my own empowerment and why it is imperative that primary prevention of violence against women efforts target everyone on the gender spectrum.

While it can be hard for me to stand up for myself, and risk possible (inevitable?) criticism and backlash, I realize that unless I do so I am, by default, waiting for someone else (most likely a man) to do all the messy work and ‘come to my rescue’, which only perpetuates gender stereotypes of the ‘helpless woman’ and the ‘knight in shining armor’.  This is not to say that there are not many strong, self-confident women out there who stand up for themselves everyday (and that I am not on occasion one of these), but that in a society that teaches girls/women to base their value on what others think of them, and especially what men think of them, it can be hard for the best of us to overcome that inner voice that tells us if we speak up we will be ignored/ridiculed/squashed because we don’t have a right to have a voice.

It’s not enough to talk to men about privilege and teach them to value women, if we don’t teach women to value themselves and use their voices and power.  If we want men to stop taking, and being given (and women to stop giving away), unearned privilege and power then we need to teach women the skills and nurture their self-confidence so that they can take up and use responsibly the power that is rightfully theirs.  This is not an either/or deal.

This is about accountability as well.  If the majority of our resources are going to men (and I don’t know that this is happening but we’d better take the time to ask the question before it happens by default), then how is that changing what’s already happening?  Let’s make sure that *at least* 50% (and really, for equity’s sake, more than that) of our time, energy, resources, and efforts are going towards primary prevention (not just response) efforts that represent women, give women a voice, and work to empower women.

At the same time, on an individual level I have to be responsible for my own empowerment in the ways that I feel safe and I have to be accountable for making sure I am empowering other women – and other individuals and groups – who have less privilege and power than I do.

Should I thank you? engaging men thoughtfully in ending violence against women April 23, 2011

A friend of mine told me that she had recently been at a presentation on engaging men in ending violence against women. Two men were presenting their perspectives on how to encourage men to become involved in this type of work. At one point in the presentation one of the men asked the audience to raise their hand if they knew of a man who had not committed rape. My friend wondered about this line of questioning but raised her hand, fairly confident that she knew at least one man who had not committed rape (as far as she knew). Then the male presenter went on to ask the audience “And how many of you have thanked those men?” His point was that if women want men to get involved in ending violence against women then women need to show men that they appreciate them.

SCREEEEEECH!

Uhm…wow…

I believe in the power of positive reinforcement, but let’s not forget that every day people do things that they should do because they are reasonable, thoughtful, caring people. And while I know I would appreciate a “thank you” every now and then for doing things that I’m supposed to do, I do not expect nor do I need a “thank you” in order to keep doing them.

I want men in the movement. I think that we can’t make the changes to our culture that we need to make in order to end gender-based violence without engaging men in the movement. I know some really awesome men in the movement and I’m glad they’re doing this work.

But I also think we need to be very thoughtful about the value and privilege that we often unconsciously confer to men. In our rush to “meet men where they are at” or to recruit and develop men as leaders in this work, let’s make sure that we aren’t perpetuating the same norms that have gotten us here in the first place.

And let’s not forget about the thousands of women who have been doing this work for decades (and longer) and continue to do this work without expecting a thank you – although I’m sure it wouldn’t go unappreciated if you felt like offering one.

**additional thoughts (added 4/24)

Most of the time things are not so obvious as this example, but in our eagerness to have men be involved let’s be careful about asking a man to the table or to present just because we find one who is willing to do it. We need to check his knowledge and message, just as we would with a woman. When we allow men to become “experts” without putting in the time and training, we’re overlooking and devaluing all of the women who have been doing this work and are experts. So the next time you have a training or a conference or any kind of job, before you invite a man ask yourself: is there a woman who is saying or doing the same thing? and consider her instead.

I’d also challenge you to consider how much you pay male presenters versus female presenters. In my experience there is often quite a disparity between what prominent male presenters are charging and what women charge (and most women are willing to negotiate down). I’m all for making a living wage, but let’s make sure everyone is making a living wage and also not perpetuate the wage gap.

Now I know there are times when it makes sense to have a man presenting. There are some really outstanding male presenters out there who I have had the pleasure of working with and who are doing great work. There are men that have put in the time and really understand and have expertise on the issues. Having male survivors present is important in order to create visibility for an issue that is still very much silenced. Also, research shows that peers have more influence within their own peer group, so having a man present to other men and boys about masculinity and violence can be very powerful. But it can also be very problematic.

Because until all of us value what women, and people who are gender queer, say and do as much as we value what men say and do then we really haven’t made any change. We’re not going to end oppression and gender violence if we only listen when a man gives the message or if we value men’s involvement to the point of devaluing ourselves. Let’s find a way to value and appreciate everyone’s contributions as deserved.

Examining financial empowerment in dv/sa organizations April 12, 2011

In honor of Equal Pay Day I thought I would share information from my research about what the women I interviewed said about pay.

Pay was one issue that they all talked about and was often experienced as disempowering. Like most nonprofit and community service organizations, domestic violence and sexual assault organizations struggle with adequate funding, which often translates into low pay for workers.

What’s different between dv/sa organizations and other service organizations, is the underlying value of empowerment of women. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, when the organizational values are incongruent with organizational practices this can lead to feelings of disempowerment.

I find we’re really invisible here…in things like around believing that women should get paid well for the work that we do and then still coming up against the barriers that people have about community workers being paid well, which I think is tied in to community work traditionally being women’s work and getting underpaid…there’s lot of issues here about our ideals and everything for the world not actually being lived out within the agency and looking after our own women first

I can’t imagine somebody putting out a job announcement saying what I do…the rate that I get paid…it’s really not ok…expecting someone to sustain themselves and stay in this job is just really crazy

it’s hard to feel empowered when you’re struggling to make rent or living with food stamps for groceries…it’s just hard to want to be able to even take a vacation or feel like you have any sense of…free time that you deserve

Since most of the services provided by feminist organizations, such as domestic and sexual violence organizations, is done by and for women, it is frequently viewed as “women’s work” by the larger society and is often undervalued. This undervaluing of the work done by dv/sa organizations can sometimes be incorporated into the thinking of individuals and organizations themselves.

there is a mentality around money as women and as community workers that, there probably isn’t a lot, but you often, you do this for the love of it, and of course we’re only here ‘cause we love it. You know, we wouldn’t be here because of the pay…there does seem this mentality that, as women…we shouldn’t want for more or we shouldn’t—that that’s a bad thing in a way

There can sometimes be the belief that women should do this work for altruistic reasons or as a “labor of love” and that asking for more money (or even a living wage) is wrong or bad – particularly because it might be viewed as “taking away from” money that could go toward services. Some of the women talked about how certain positions (most often direct service positions) were valued less than others.

I see a higher value placed on people in…administrative positions, like our bookkeeper and development director make twice as much as anyone else at part-time rate.  You know it’s like, well, would we need them if we weren’t doing direct service?

If organizations truly want to create equality for women then they must work against the devaluing of “women’s work.”

Another reason we should be concerned about pay is that research has found that lower levels of pay are predictive of higher rates of burnout and staff sustainability.

understanding that I’m choosing to go back to school after being an advocate for about ten years…when I made that decision it was because I wasn’t going to make money doing the work I loved…making decisions about what kind of work I need to do to make the money I need to live the way I want…which means paying rent and bills and eating and enjoying some aspects of my life. You know, being able to do weekend things or think about buying a house within the next five years. And if I’ll be able to do that doing this work.

I’m also pretty clear that I’m not going to be able to stay in this position forever either…I still feel like there is a broader issues of this kind of work being undervalued. And that I don’t have retirement. That I’ll basically never really make any kind of income that will allow me to be really self-sufficient, and that I have to do something in order to change that. If I stayed here forever…I would never be able to have a house. I would never be able to have kids. I would never be able to travel. And I would never be able to pay off my student loans. So there is this really fundamental economic issue for me in that basically I understand that every year that I continue to do this work, in the structures that exist right now, is another year longer that I’m gonna work until I die…that I’m just not going to retire…that I will not be financially empowered…I won’t be self-sufficient. I’m completely dependent basically…on being middle class and having other resources and, if I really needed to, you know I could tap them…that’s why usually we all do it when we’re younger. And then everyone moves on to something else…I just still really think that’s very sad…there is an expectation that this is just temporary…and that that’s demeaning to our clients, and it’s demeaning to us.

It is important to realize that by offering low paying jobs, dv/sa organizations often exclude working and lower class women from their workforce. If as a movement we are working to change culture and end all forms of oppression, we need to begin by looking at our own practices and how we might inadvertently exclude, devalue and disempower women.

How can we balance the overwhelming need for the services that our organizations provide with the financial empowerment of the women providing those services?

It’s more than just a job, it’s a way of life: empowerment through shared values and meaning April 11, 2011

I can’t imagine someone working in the ending violence again women field if they didn’t believe in some of the core values of the work: equality for women, nonviolence, anti-oppression, respect, empowerment. It’s not a glamorous job, the pay won’t make you rich (hell, it’ll barely cover the basics sometimes), the hours are crap (nights, weekends, holidays – after working a regular work week), benefits are often nonexistent, you hear about a lot of awful stuff, and sometimes you are blamed, harassed and even threatened because you dare to name it what it is. But, for some of us, there’s nothing else you can imagine doing that would give you the same sense of empowerment.

The women I interviewed talked about how just being in their organization or the broader movement was empowering for them. Many of the women deliberately chose this work, and some even chose their specific organization, because it mirrored their values and beliefs.

I feel like it’s empowering to work for a feminist-based organization. And feel like when I talk to other people that maybe don’t get that or aren’t a part of that kind of agency, they like feel something different from me…that I get excited to talk about different things…like they get an energy from me, like, ‘That’s really cool. It seems like you get a lot from your agency.’ That it’s not just a job for you, but it’s a way of life you can model…it’s not like I leave it at the door. I bring it with me in my…environment, in my community. Which I think is part of…social change…that you can bring wherever you go and then you in turn teach somebody else. And then that empowers them to maybe get involved in some other related agency or maybe get involved within the community…there’s little ‘Ah ha’ moments like that I think.

…I felt like I’d come home and there were people that thought like me. That was a great sense of empowerment; that I could do anything and I could be who I want to…It’s really empowering to be in an environment where you can be you…Actually just going to work and working in a job I love is empowering.

However, if there is incongruence between an individual’s values and beliefs and the practices of the organization, either in the way that services are delivered or in the way that staff are treated, then the organization and work might be experienced as disempowering.

Some of the women I interviewed talked about how their organization held up certain values, but then never created a shared meaning of what those values would look like within the organization. This caused conflict and feelings of disempowerment because individuals had different ideas about what the organization’s practices and goals should be.

There seems to be a little bit of irregularity around…how we actually implement those feminist practices…and because feminism is not one thing…and that has been a little bit of a problem here, uhm ’cause we really, we don’t have a descriptive mission of what…a feminist woman is…’cause we kind of assume that we all have the same politics or that we’re all radical feminists but we’re not, and some of us don’t even, haven’t done theoretical work about what rape and feminism is

It is also extremely hard to support survivors and provide resources and services when you don’t feel that you are receiving that same support and resources in your own life. Some of the women I interviewed said that they’d never advocate for a woman they were working with to take a job that offered the pay and hours that their own job offered, or to work in an environment similar to their organization’s.

I think [organization] is the most disempowering organization I’ve ever worked for. And that really frustrates me. We’ve been a feminist organization and the organization is about empowering women, and that has historically completely ignored the women that actually work here. And I think…as workers to support women and to empower other women, we need to be empowered within our organization ourselves….there’s lots of issues here about our…ideals and everything for the world not actually being lived out within the agency and looking after our own women first.

[we] pretty much put it on the line that we needed things to change here, really quickly and for it to be a safe environment to work in, and also to be a sustainable agency. And that if changes didn’t happen really soon that we both didn’t think that we would be able to stay here…issues that have historically been here, around the culture and feeling safe to speak in [organizational] meetings and…it’s been quite an aggressive place to be. And lots of issues just haven’t been addressed because people didn’t feel safe to bring them up and talk about them.

That dissonance between the organizational environment and the work can be very disempowering.

It might feel less disempowering to work in an organization that doesn’t share your values if you were just there for a “job” (of course then you’d probably pick a job that paid more and had better hours). As one woman said above, it’s more than just a job, it’s a way of life, which is why it is important that organizations take the time to discuss their values and create a shared meaning, and check in regularly to make sure those values are being upheld.

Does your organization talk about its core values? Does that discussion include what those values look like in practice, not just for the individuals you serve, but also for staff?

how does your organization empower you? April 3, 2011

Because feminist organizations are where the ongoing work of the movement gets done, it is important for them to develop into thriving institutions that are good for the women who work in them as well as for the group called women as a whole.

Controversy and Coalition: The New Feminist Movement Across Four Decades of Change
(Ferree and Hess, 2000)

The anti-rape and anti-domestic violence movements stemmed from the feminist movement and most dv/sa organizations share feminist values such as the empowerment of women.  In every advocacy training I’ve been in the concept of empowerment has been discussed.  We talk about how to best empower the survivors that we provide services for, but how many organizations also talk about what empowerment for those working within the organization looks like?

Most of the people I’ve talked with who work in the field do this work because we believe in ideals such as empowerment.  It’s not just a job, it’s a way of life.  But it’s hard to be effective and create change when there’s a disconnect between the work our organizations are doing for others and that way in which that work is implemented within our organizations.

Have you had a discussion in your organization about empowerment?  Has that discussion included both what that means for survivors as well as what that means for the individuals who work there?

In talking about empowerment, the women in my research were quickly able to define it in terms of the services they provided.  In terms of their own empowerment however, more often that not, they were able to think of the ways in which they felt disempowered (which I’ll discuss in another post), but had a much harder time thinking about what it looked like for them in their daily work life.

Some of the ways in which they did talk about being empowered included being able to participate in decision making; being given the information, skills and tools necessary to make intelligent, well-informed and effective decisions; having a safe and supportive environment in which to use their voice; and feeling valued and respected within the organization.

I’m valued as a person within that environment through having access to using my voice and creating change within an organization…[having] a work environment that’s going to allow me growth.

Having someone treat me in a way that makes me feel empowered is the expression that they have confidence in my capabilities and in my judgment…an active demonstration of respect and a collaborative approach.

How does your organization empower you?

empowering ourselves March 26, 2011

For the past thirteen years I have been an advocate for victims (survivors) of domestic and sexual violence at the individual level as well as at the systems and policy levels. When I tell people what I do, some of the responses I often get are “that must be really hard work” or “I couldn’t listen to those stories all the time, that would depress me.” What I’ve found though, is that it is not the survivors and their stories that have been the most draining for me, it hasn’t even been the limitations of the systems, rather it has been my experiences within organizations and the field, and my own responses to them, that have left me feeling the most disempowered.

This is not to say that there aren’t many wonderful people and organizations out there doing this work. But the way in which we do the work sometimes is not congruent with our own principles and values. This is understandable given the overwhelming need and crisis oriented nature of services. However, if we truly want to address the root causes of why domestic and sexual violence happen in the first place, then we must take the time to look at how we may, inadvertently, perpetuate some of the structures and processes that feed into these root causes.

It was because of my own experiences that I decided to do my research for my master’s degree on women’s experiences of working in domestic and sexual violence organizations and what structures and processes were experienced as empowering or disempowering. I have heard from many of my colleagues and friends in the field who have talked about experiences that have left them feeling frustrated, sad, and disempowered, and maybe even ultimately contributed to them leaving the field.

I myself have had to take several “interludes” away in order to recharge and regain my perspective. I don’t see this as a failure, but rather as a way of taking care of myself and remaining a healthy, balanced person. Dealing with issues of oppression and victimization can be very difficult and unless we take the time to address them within our own work and organizations we will continue to burn out and lose talented individuals.

Quotes from advocates:

“…it’s the type of service we want to pass on…I think it’s really, really hard to work with that disconnect…[this job] can take a high emotional toll on people unless you have the proper systems in place to avoid that…if you weren’t getting emotional support at your work, you couldn’t go out and do the work…and then it’s just the model of it…trying to put that into place, trying to become empowered and empowering your fellow employees, your sister employees. Then you have some practical hands-on experience.”

“I really want more people to look at it…from my experience of working for feminist organizations, which I think should be hugely empowering for a woman working within them, ‘cause that’s the whole point of the organization is to empower women. I’m really disturbed at the fact that that doesn’t often—isn’t often an experience. I’m really sad about the fact that community workers burn out and leave and…are no longer community workers. And I often think about how, imagine if all the community workers were empowered and felt good about their jobs and were still community workers. And if you had people that worked in organizations for ten years, and felt really good about being there. How much that organization would progress and how much more change we could achieve for society and how much better…the world could be if that was the case.”

It is for this reason that I want to share, as well as continue, my research into how we can better support and empower ourselves in doing this work. Stay tuned for more posts from my research.