Between Friends: Conversations with Maitri

Welcome to Policy Matters: A quarterly presentation from Maitri Policy Advocacy, where we discuss public policies that are at the heart of shaping the way prevention, intervention, and overall attention to domestic violence within our communities. In our first presentation, we look at the medical mandate of reporting domestic violence that has been in the minds of survivors and advocates alike for a long time seeking to change the law. Joining us for the conversation, are Chris Negris, the Associate Director of Public Policy Strategies at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and Anisa Ali, Program Manager of Health at Futures without Violence. This discussion was led by Smitha Chandrasekhar, Smitha Chandrasekhar is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Biology. She is currently on the pre-med track and intends to focus on a career in women’s reproductive health and oncology. Smitha has been volunteering with Maitri for almost a year and is deeply invested in promoting the rights of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to their own bodies and autonomy. Chris Negri (he/him) is the Associate Director of Public Policy Strategies at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. Working with Partnership staff, members, and allied organizations, he hopes to contribute to policy victories that fund prevention work, improve the lives of survivors, and address critical problems such as the financial and housing insecurity that survivors often face. He is particularly passionate about and dedicated to working on child welfare issues, mindful of the harm that the child welfare system often inflicts on children and families affected by domestic violence, particularly youth of color and LGBTQ+ young people. More About Chris :https://www.cpedv.org/profile/chris-negri Anisa Ali believes that all survivors deserve access to trauma-informed, culturally responsive health care and that health settings can be an important place of support for survivors. As a Program Manager at FUTURES, Anisa provides training and technical assistance for the National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, including on the Campus Leadership Program, the Survivor Leadership Cohort, and California state policy work. She was a fellow for the Solís Policy Institute-State, through the Women’s Foundation of California. Anisa earned her MA in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her undergraduate degrees in International Studies and Spanish from Virginia Tech. More About Anisa: https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/anisa-ali-14/ Resources from the Episode: AB 3127 Factsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pFlrrOX3bbmuM8BqwFaMTN5UvjsNNYDN/view Should California doctors report domestic abuse to the police? Here’s how physician lawmakers voted: https://calmatters.org/health/2024/05/california-doctor-domestic-violence-reporting/                  

In this podcast, Nazeehah Khan, a sexual assault survivor, activist, and the founder of Restraining Orders Without Borders had an in-depth conversation with our host Nandini Ray. Nazeehah shared her ordeal, hopes, and how she transformed her pain into power. Listen to the episode here: Nazeehah Khan is the Founder of Restraining Orders Without Borders (ROWB), a national legislative campaign expanding restraining order jurisdiction for nonresident survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence. ROWB has passed laws in Hawaii, and Oregon, and is pending the passage of SB 554 in California. Nazeehah holds a Masters in International Relations from the University of Cambridge. She was born and raised in Hawaii and is of Indo-Fijian heritage. Nazeehah’s story and activism have been published in different media outlets including Forbes, KITV_abc, RISE, the Star-Advertiser. Learn more about ROWB here: https://www.rowbnational.com/ Learn more about Maitri here: www.maitri.org Listen to the Maitri Podcast and share with your networks.

Statistics suggest that marital rape happens in 10-14% of all California marriages. However, the silence surrounding marital rape leaves many victims unaware that they can seek help. In this episode of “Between Friends” Zakia Afrin and Indira Chakravorty discuss Indira’s Article on Marital rape as a tool for domestic violence in the recently published “Khadr Dhare Ghor”/ an edited book of essays on Domestic violence published in Kolkata Book Fair, 2023. পরিসংখ্যান বলে, কালিফরনিয়ায় শতকরা ১০ থেকে ১৪ টি দাম্পত্য সম্পর্কে যৌন নির্যাতন ঘটে থাকে। তবু এই বিষয়ে রাখ ঢাক থাকায় অনেকে জানেন না, সাহায্য পেতে হলে কি করতে হবে। এই নিয়ে কথোপকথন রইল আমাদের এবারের পর্বে। Zakia Afrin is the Director of Survivor Advocacy at Maitri. Indira Chakravorty, Author, co-founder of Daya-Houston and Saheli Houston; and volunteer at Maitri. --------------------- Useful resources: Danger Assessment Toolhttps://www.dangerassessment.org/.../DA_NewScoring_2019.pdf Marital Rape Incident in Bangladesh https://www.thedailystar.net/.../marital-rape-killed... 498A of the Indian Penal Code https://indiankanoon.org/doc/538436/ Maitri Discussion on Domestic Violence deaths in the South Asian community https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AtE6X0aAVM&t=0s No means No Campaign https://www.nomeansnoworldwide.org/Healthy Relationship and Power and Control Wheel; The South Asian Context https://www.facebook.com/maitribayarea/posts/pfbid031iDvU4181ix6HHLTDZuA1z2mm28NxRB53X92FzLu8dsnJUgPdm6k9SnAucScBW9Vl Reproductive Coercion https://www.thehotline.org/resources/reproductive-coercion/ This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org]

Join Maitri volunteers Davinder Kaur Atwal and Arvinder Dhalla as they engage in a profound conversation that challenges widely-held perceptions about domestic violence. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in breaking the stigma surrounding domestic violence, supporting survivors, and fostering a community culture that does not tolerate abuse. Don't miss this enlightening and empowering conversation! Gain valuable insights and prepare yourself for informed discussions on this crucial issue so that together, we can end domestic violence in our community. This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org Host: Nandini Ray Conversation: Davinder Kaur Atwal and Arvinder Dhalla

Presenting a special episode of the Maitri podcast in Punjabi! Join Maitri volunteers Davinder Kaur Atwal and Arvinder Dhalla as they engage in a profound conversation that challenges widely-held perceptions about domestic violence. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in breaking the stigma surrounding domestic violence, supporting survivors, and fostering a community culture that does not tolerate abuse. Don't miss this enlightening and empowering conversation! Gain valuable insights and prepare yourself for informed discussions on this crucial issue so that together, we can end domestic violence in our community This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org Host: Nandini Ray Conversation: Davinder Kaur Atwal and Arvinder Dhalla

Commemorating Women’s History Month! Tune in to our latest podcast episode where four South Asian women come together to discuss misogynistic behaviors and attitudes that we women face every day. From overtly offensive behaviors to subtle, normalized attitudes, we delve into the spectrum of experiences women face daily. Join us in identifying and confronting misogynistic attitudes and behaviors. Together, let’s explore strategies for dismantling this toxic culture and envision a future where equality thrives. Host: Nandini Ray, Sr. Manager Outreach, Prevention, and Policy Advocacy, Maitri Guests: Aarushi Kumar, Rika Alavi, Kashmira Patel (Maitri Volunteers)   This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org] Please share your feedback here: https://forms.gle/Req1NfTSAYfUnYfD7

Are South Asian youth comfortable sharing their dating experiences with their parents? Do they receive enough guidance and support from their families in understanding the concept of healthy partner relationships? To discuss these questions we invited 3 South Asian youth community members. Hajra Usman, Sid Barathi, and Nidhi Satyagal joined us to shed light on the unique challenges South Asian youth face when navigating conversations about dating and relationships with their families. They also shared their recommendations on how both South Asian youth and adults can facilitate an environment of safe and open communication to have conversations on healthy partner relationships. Please listen to this insightful discussion and share this episode with your network. Feel free to share your recommendations with us at maitri@maitri.org. This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org] Our host: Nandini Ray has been involved in the gender justice movement since 2011. As the Sr. Manager of the Outreach & Prevention Program at Maitri, she leads community engagement and education efforts at Maitri, represents Maitri at community talks, panels, and in media, and provides culturally responsive training for DV advocates and service providers. Nandini curates, designs and hosts Maitri’s reputed Podcast series, “Between Friends” and leads social media outreach efforts. Hajra Usman is a clinical researcher assistant and a long-time Maitri volunteer. Sid Barathi is a recent graduate from UCSB. He currently works at a research lab and a clinic as a medical assistant. Nidhi Satyagal is the Prevention Program Associate at Maitri. She recently graduated from UCSB with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in History.

Female genital cutting/ mutilation has been recognized as a human rights violation by the World Health Organization. This topic is highly controversial due to its roots in cultural and religious practices so we should have multiple conversations to have community awareness around it. To discuss how we can end this oppressive practice and bring positive social change, we invited Mariya Taher, the co-founder and U.S. Executive Director of Sahiyo. Listen to this episode here! Visit: https://sahiyo.org/ This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org #EndDV, #maitripodcast, #maitriwww.maitri.org

Mariam Azimi, a survivor with her courage and resilience not only paved her future with safety and dignity, but also gave support, guidance, and emotional confidence to many survivors that they needed after suffering from domestic violence. Mariam has been working relentlessly to break the stigma of divorce. In this Maitri podcast episode, Mariam shares her journey and hope. Mariam Azimi is the founder of Care2Elevate.space and established CircleofsiSTARhood (https://www.facebook.com/circleofsiSTARhood/about_details.)

We invited Yasmin Azad, the author of Stay, Daughter on our podcast to talk about her experience and reflection on the dilemmas that Muslim women faced and are facing in balancing the rules of orthodox Islam with the freedom and innovations of the modern world. Fahria Khan, our Donor Engagement Manage had an in-depth conversation with the author. Please listen to the episode here! Yasmin Azad grew up in Sri Lanka and was among the first group of girls in her Muslim community to go away from home to pursue a university degree. After obtaining a B.A. in English, she married and moved to the United States where she raised her three children and worked as a mental health counselor. Her writing has been published in Navasilu, Solstice Literary Magazine, and The Massachusetts Review, and her memoir is Stay, Daughter: A Memoir of Muslim Girlhood. Read more about Stay Daughter: https://staydaughter.com/ Fahria Khan is the Donor Engagement Manager at Maitri. She is a community leader who has spent the last 20 years serving the community through various non-profit organizations, programs, and initiatives.  #EndDV, #maitripodcast, #maitri, # YasminAzad, #MuslimGirlhood, #girls www.maitri.org This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org]