Since its debut more than a decade ago, Twitter has become a reliable news source for many individuals. It offers a real-time view and perspective of what is occurring both elsewhere and in our own communities, enabling us to become more aware of social issues like violence against women and join discussions to become more involved with these causes.
Twitter allows us to share information, a tool to help us better our world through understanding, and create an atmosphere of solidarity worldwide. Being able to look up a hashtag – #vaw for example – in order to find news sources, helplines, or other activists is a simple yet incredibly useful way to become involved. In fact, in recent years, the usefulness of hashtags as a rallying cry for women’s causes have vaulted up to the next level with #MeToo and #YesAllWomen going viral worldwide as women and girls share their stories of surviving sexism, misogyny, and gender-based violence on Twitter.
With that in mind, The Pixel Project presents our 2021 Twitter selection of 16 organisations and individuals leveraging Twitter in the cause to end violence against women. These are groups and people who will keep you informed simply because they share the passion to create a better tomorrow for girls and women everywhere.
Introduction by Rebecca DeLuca and Regina Yau; Researched, written, and compiled by Denishia Rajendran.
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Twitter Follow Recommendation #1: Central Australian Women’s Legal Service (@cawls_nt) – Australia
Central Australian Women’s Legal Service (CAWLS) was established in the 1990s and consists of a group of women legal practitioners who provide free legal advice to survivors of domestic violence. The organisation provides community legal education, outreach services and domestic violence services. All legal services provided are confidential, thus creating a safe environment for survivors to seek for free legal services.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #2: DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (@DCCADV) – United States of America
DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCCADV) is a coalition of domestic programs, organisations and individuals based in Washington DC. DCCADV’s work includes identifying factors that critically impact survivors of domestic violence. There are as many as sixteen member organisations that dedicate their services to eliminate domestic violence within Washington DC. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the DCCADV has a resource page on its website dedicated to providing the latest updates on Crisis Services, Counseling and Safety Planning, Legal Service Updates and FAQs and Housing Services.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #3: Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (@DublinRCC) – Ireland
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has worked tirelessly since 1979 to prevent the harm and heal the trauma caused by sexual violence. The organisation works with the Irish government and other not-for-profit organisations as well as academic institutions to make resources on the prevention of sexual violence available. The Dublin RCC also offers various services including a 24-hour Helpline service, one to one counselling, court accompaniment, training outreach and awareness programmes, as well as policy and advocacy work.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #4: Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C (@GlobalFgm) – Global
The Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C is a global platform that utilises the support for the call to action to advocate for greater prioritisation, resourcing and action to end female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C). Since its inception in June 2019 at the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, Canada, the platform has been endorsed by many anti-FGM/C organisations from all around the globe and has carried out a number of joint advocacy actions. It has officially launched the Global Call to Action to end FGM/C by 2030, and has produced a global report on FGM/C on the worldwide progress made to end FGM in the past years.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #5: My Choices Foundation (@MyChoicesFDN) – India
My Choices Foundation is an Indian foundation established with the aim of giving women, children and families the choice to live their lives free from violence, abuse and exploitation. The foundation does this by empowering women, educating women and girls who are at risk, and providing a supportive environment for survivors. Some of the foundation’s notable works include the launching of the “Operation Peacemaker” campaign, a campaign aimed at preventing domestic violence across India, and “Operation Red Alert”, an anti-trafficking campaign aimed at the trafficking of girls in India.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #6: No to Violence (@NTVorg) – Australia
No to Violence is an Australian organisation that focuses on engaging with men to promote the safety and wellbeing of women and children. No to Violence has had 25 years of experience in successfully working to develop safe and effective interventions for men with respect to domestic and family violence. In 2017, No to Violence was funded to provide sector development to the men’s domestic and family violence in New South Wales, to act as secretariat and advocate on behalf of the NSW Men’s Behaviour Change Network.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #7: Project Alert on Violence Against Women (@ProjectalertVaw) – Nigeria
Project Alert on Violence Against Women (Project Alert VAW) is a non-governmental women’s rights organisation which has been set up with the intention of promoting and protecting the rights of women and young girls. The organisation recently launched #STOPTHEBLAME, a media campaign to raise awareness on the negative impact of blaming and shaming of survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The organisation has also launched other notable media campaigns such as #BREAKTHECYCLE and #ALERTONVIOLENCEAGAINSTWOMEN as a means to raise awareness, and to achieve its vision in creating a well-informed society where there is zero tolerance for all forms of violence against women.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #8: She The People (@SheThePeople) – India
She The People is an online news website that focuses on news about women in India. The website covers news from around the nation, including gender-based violence. Its Twitter posts regularly educate followers on issues such as catcalling and sexism, and also reposts tweets to empower women.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #9: Solace Women’s Aid (@SolaceWomensAid) – United Kingdom
Solace Women’s Aid is a long-standing organisation with 40 years of experience in fighting against domestic violence in London. The organisation provides accommodation to survivors of domestic violence, advice and support, one-on-one counselling services, and rape crisis services to women and girls. In March this year, Solace launched a research into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women and children who were made homeless as a result of domestic violence. The organisation has also called on the government to consider accommodation issues in light of the Covid-19 pandemic with respect to the Domestic Abuse Act.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #10: South Suburban Family Shelter (@SSFS2) – United States of America
South Suburban Family Shelter (SSFS) provides confidential assistance such as counselling services to domestic violence survivors. This is to enable the survivors to identify the options available to them in their life situations. The services are free and available for Spanish speaking survivors. It aims to provide comprehensive, coordinated services to families in which domestic violence exists without imposing any one solution. The organisation also provides emergency shelter services, transitional housing services and medical as well as court advocacy. It has managed to secure more than 389 Orders of Protection for victims of domestic violence.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #11: United Women Singapore (@unitedwomen_sg) – Singapore
United Women Singapore (UWS) is a non-profit organisation that promotes women’s empowerment and gender equality. The organisation seeks to narrow the gender inequality gap through education and raising awareness on key issues, such as anti-violence and women’s empowerment by working with the government and with its corporate partners. One of the organisation’s programmes is the GenSafe Workplace programme that advocates for personnel policies to provide a gender-safe working environment.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #12: Voices (@Voices_Charity) – United Kingdom
Voices is a charity that was founded by women who have experienced domestic abuse. The UK-based charity provides peer support and recovery programmes for women who are currently experiencing or who have experienced domestic abuse in the past. Leveraging on survivors’ insights, the charity also provides one-on-one advice and counselling, as well as training and consultation to professionals and organisations. One of the charity’s programmes includes a social support group programme for women who have left abusive relationships known as the MATES programme which offers the chance for survivors to socialise, inform, encourage and support one another.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #13: Women’s Centre for Change (@WCCPenang) – Malaysia
Women’s Centre for Change (WCC Penang) is a Malaysian organisation situated in Penang, recognised across the nation for its work in preventing domestic violence and promoting gender equality. The WCC Penang offers legal services, temporary shelter for women and children in suffering from domestic abuse, victim support services and training to nurses and medical students. The organisation also provides outreach services to schools and engages with the local community to raise awareness and prevent sexual abuse within the society.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #14: Women for Women France (@WFWFrance) – France
The aim for the Women for Women France is to ensure that domestic violence survivors regardless of ethnic background or country of origin are supported, protected and can assert their rights. As part of fulfilling its aim, the organisation has carried out a research on the challenges faced by foreign-born survivors of domestic violence in France. Additionally, the organisation also launched a COVID-19 emergency victim outreach media campaign to provide non-French victims of domestic violence with information on seeking help and to assure them that they are not alone.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #15: : Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance Of Iran (@womenncri) – France
Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance Of Iran (NCRI) is an organisation that works mainly with Iranian women outside of France. It tirelessly works to fight against the Iranian regime’s misogyny and seeks to promote gender equality in the political, economic and social spheres. It has hosted many different conferences and engages with parliaments across the world to support the uprising of Iranian women.
Twitter Follow Recommendation #16: WomanStats Project (@WomanStats) – Global
WomanStats Project consists of a team of researchers whose agenda is to assess the relationship between the situation and security of women and the dynamics between security, stability and the behaviour of the state. The project began in 2001, with the goal of developing a database on the situation of women in the world. The project has launched a book club series on how sex shapes governance and national security worldwide. The project also has a blog post that discusses issues such as domestic abuse.