12: Against violence and abuse
Gender-based violence and the need for co-production with women with experience
AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) is a feminist charity committed to ending gender-based violence (GBV) and abuse. By GBV we mean harm or abuse directed at someone because of their gender (UNHCR, 2020).
AVA aims to place experts-by-experience (EBEs) at the centre of our work: working towards an approach based on participatory involvement. Recent work with EBEs includes recruiting and paying EBEs to develop projects, deliver training, undertake research, co-write policy reports, facilitate groups, and influence change through media and public speaking activities. Core to how we work is the understanding of GBV as a form of trauma that survivors carry with them long after abuse is over.
This chapter discusses AVA’s co-production activities and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on our Women’s Voices Peer Support project: a project working with EBEs to run peer support groups in one London borough.
The chapter is centred on the voices of two EBEs: Naima Iqbal and Sonia Braham. Through their experiences, we explore the challenges faced by survivors during the pandemic, as well as the lessons of co-production during this time.
Globally, people have faced wide-ranging challenges because of COVID-19, including negative psychological impacts, physical ill-health, and financial insecurity (Brooks et al, 2020; United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2020). For survivors of GBV, challenges and risks increased, and routes to safety narrowed (Women’s Aid, 2020).
GBV is a form of trauma with long-lasting impacts (Ferrari et al, 2016). Reports of abuse have increased during the pandemic, and demand for GBV services has risen (ONS, 2020; Refuge, 2020).
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