“I asked my husband to forgive me for being raped.” 
Faida, Bukavu, Congo

The Course Leader

“I can’t un-do what happened to Maggie, but I can decide what I’m going to do with my life. The same is true of everyone who takes my courses.”


Who:
Susan Omilian
What:
Works with abused women who want to thrive.


The Conversation Group

“If he beats me I’ll leave him – or will I?”


Who:
Lise-Lotte Nielsen and Ann-Margret Fick
What:
Social workers who lead conversation groups for abused women, organised by the social services.


The Lawyer

“Sometimes I sit in the courtroom and hold her hand, or stroke her back. I don’t want her to feel she is alone.”


Who:
Susanne Croné-Morell
What:
Is the victim’s own lawyer – the plaintiff’s lawyer.  


The Radio Station

We’re going to start a discussion about women’s rights in our area.


Who:
Rádio Mulher um Ambiente Comunitário
What:
Broadcast local radio for women in the favela, about women’s problems. 


The Pioneers

“As far as the politicians are concerned, it’s a reality that doesn’t exist.”


Who:
Casa Amiga
What: Centre for support and advice for women who have been subjected to violence.

She was a retired accountant who settled in Juarez where, in 1993, she began to notice the many reports in the local paper of young girls who had been found murdered and raped. Why was this spate of murders not attracting any attention?


The Mothers

“Why didn’t the police show me the whole of my daughter’s body, just a left foot which was sticking out?”


Who:
Rosaura Montañez
What: Member of a network of mothers who have lost daughters. 

Araceli disappeared on the 30th of June 1995 and was found four days later on a refuse tip on the southern outskirts of the city. She had been raped and strangled. She was 19 years old. No-one has been found guilty of her murder.


The men’s movement

“Violence is about control. It’s the loss of control that triggers violence.”  


Who:
Alexander Gogolkin
What: Leads M21, which works both for greater gender equality, and with the treatment of violent men.  


Transit and Safety House

The women are so keen to learn.”


Who:
Maison Dorcas
What:
Help Panzi Hospital’s patients who have been the victims of violence to make the transition back into society.


The Police Commissioner

“The turning point was 2004, with the new law on violence in the home. Violence against women was no longer a private matter.”


Who
: Adolfina Prieto
What: Heads LIBRA, the special police unit which combats violence against women and also offers survival courses to women who have lived with a dangerous man.


The Night Patrol

“I never think about tomorrow. I think about what’s happening now.”   


Who:
Ahmed Samy Ali and Khaled Abo-El Fadl.
What: Social workers who seek out street children.

In the front of the vehicle there are some seats and a table. On the table is a notebook. At the back of the bus there is an open space with a pile of newspapers in a corner.  


The Home For Young Mothers

“When the girls begin to think about the future, about what they will do when they leave here, then we can stop worrying.”


Who:
Abrigo Rainha Silvia
What:
Offers protection to young women who are pregnant and victims of violence.