SOAR With Us | April 2023 Recap
About a year ago, in April 2022, our member organizations gathered for our monthly member meeting. As it was Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we decided to tackle a topic that is often swept under the rug: sexual assault and violence against South Asian survivors. Recent staggering statistics indicated that it was time for this conversation.
According to a 2022 study of South Asians aged 18-34 in the NY State region, 85% of participants had experienced some form of sexual assault. Furthermore, a 2016 web-based survey of South Asian adults born both in the US and abroad showed that 25% of respondents had experienced child sexual abuse. These alarming findings coupled with silencing of conversations around sex, sexual assault, and bodily autonomy underscore the urgent need to address these issues.
Just a few weeks later, on May 2, 2022, the draft opinion regarding the Supreme Court's decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization was leaked. That opinion made clear that the Supreme Court was set to overturn Roe v Wade which protected the constitutional right to an abortion. As we grappled with the potential impact of this on South Asian survivors and communities, we faced the stark reality of the scarcity of resources and research available to understand our communities’ needs.
So we did what we do best: we turned to our collective of 32 South Asian community-based organizations who serve as hubs for education, outreach, and services. After almost a year of listening and learning with our members, we published our findings in our Community Briefing on Abortion & Reproductive Health Needs in the US-based South Asian Diaspora—see more below!
Tomorrow, we are sharing a very special resource created directly in response to our community (if you follow us on our socials, you already know!). We can’t wait to share this historic launch with you all tomorrow.
Our Community Briefing on Abortion & Reproductive Health Needs in the US-based South Asian Diaspora is a culmination of voices and research from South Asian frontline gender-based violence advocates, community members, and survivors. We invite you to not only read this briefing, but to bring this into a conversation with your friends, colleagues, and family.
Join our workshop at the Indian American Impact Summit on June 6th in DC!
We’re thrilled to announce that our team will be facilitating a workshop on Mobilizing South Asians in the Fight for Reproductive Justice at Indian American Impact’s 2023 Summit & Gala: The Next 100 Years on June 6th in Washington, D.C.! Please join us for this historic gathering of South Asian community leaders, trailblazers, organizers, elected officials, youth and more. RSVP today at iaimpact.org/summit!
Lunch & Learn with Netflix Masala ERG!
In April, we held a thought-provoking conversation with Netflix’s South Asian ERG, Masala. We covered how South Asian media—whether Bollywood movies or shows like Indian Matchmaking—influence our norms around dating and relationships. Oftentimes, media perpetuates the harmful norms that enable gender-based violence, but we also explored how media can be a powerful tool to disrupt norms and drive both cultural and systemic change.
Read this case study that discusses the role of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the film The Help in passing legislation to protect the rights of domestic workers.
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Let's build survivor and collective power, together.