942848

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VAWXXX10.1177/1077801220942848Violence Against WomenChhabra et al.

Guest Editors’ Introduction

Violence Against Women

Violence Against Women:

1­–8
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/1077801220942848
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Education

Meenakshi Chhabra1 , Lisa B. Fiore1 ,

and Sonia Pérez-Villanueva1

Abstract
Cultural representations of violence against women have been mystified, eroticized,
and depicted as heroic, camouflaging, and trivializing acts of violence as a societal norm
for thousands of years. This themed issue invites people to re/claim identities and
power, and enter into a global cultural discourse connected with cross-disciplinary
channels and creative work.

Keywords
cultural representations, human rights violation, Spanish Inquisition, India, child
homelessness, trauma

Cultural representations of violence against women have often been mystified, eroti-
cized, and depicted as heroic, camouflaging, and trivializing acts of violence as a
societal norm. This publication comes at a time when people—emboldened with dif-
ferent levels of comfort and action—are claiming identities and power all their own,
thereby challenging the prevalent cultural discourse as they find the courage to speak
up against perpetrators and those who would prefer to maintain a stance of silence and
denial rather than address the violation, shame, and trauma associated with acts of
violence against women. As a result of this changing cultural narrative, violence
against women is gaining a new kind of attention—attention that elevates voices pre-
viously silenced or muffled, demanding change with a sharing of information that

1
Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, USA

Corresponding Author:
Lisa B. Fiore, Lesley University, 29 Everett St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Email: lfiore@lesley.edu
2 Violence Against Women 00(0)

counters societal numbness and an unwillingness of those in power to educate societ-

ies about this epidemic.
Violence against women has been recognized as a human rights violation by the
United Nations (UNWomen.org, 2015). Their most recent annual report states clearly
at the outset that, “Every woman and girl has the right to a life free from violence,
yet all over the world, gender-based violence remains the most common violation of
women’s human rights” (UN Women Annual Report, 2018–2019, p. 1). It is this shared
spirit that inspired the authors, artists, and editors whose works are represented in this
issue to use words and images to challenge existing power dynamics, and invite allies
and activists to read on and lead on.
A review of current statistics confirms that acts of violence against women continue
to occur in public and private spaces. According to recent data,

•• One of every three women around the world experience “physical or sexual
violence—mostly by an intimate partner” (UNWomen.org, 2015).
•• Three of every five women are killed as a result of partner violence (UNWomen.
org, 2015).
•• Women with disabilities are twice as likely to experience intimate partner
violence (Shoffner Ellis, 2015).
•• Seventy-five percent of countries around the world have legislation related to
domestic violence, though mostly as responsive measures rather than preven-
tive measures (Ratcliffe, 2017).
•• Eighteen million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years have experienced
sexual violence at some point in their lives (Ratcliffe, 2017).
•• Two hundred million women and girls have undergone female genital mutila-
tion/cutting (FGM/C) in 30 countries where data are available; most of the girls
were cut before the age of 5 years (Russell, 2017).
•• Six hundred fifty million women and girls living in countries around the
world were married before the age of 18 years (UNWomen.org, 2015).

While statistics like these are most compelling and describe aspects of violence
against women, numbers cannot ever capture or convey the lived experiences behind
the statistics. It is, in fact, common for numbers to remain visible and “in front,”
whereas the human stories are invisible or suppressed for reasons previously noted.
This issue presents a collection of works related to the theme of violence against
women from a global perspective, bringing critical issues to the forefront. This effort
grew out of a conference that was celebrated on November 9, 2018, at Lesley University
in Cambridge, MA, where artists, scholars, and community activists—experts on vio-
lence against women—shared their work.
A companion art exhibition, 1 in 3: Comparative Perspectives on Gender Violence,
was launched simultaneously. Works created by Catriona Baker, Siona Benjamin,
Ambreen Butt, Juan Jose Barboza-Gubo and Andrew Mroczek, Nona Faustine, Annu
Palakunnathu Matthew, and Katherine Shozawa portrayed critical and provocative
representations of gender-based violence from distinctive cultures across the world,
Chhabra et al. 3

denouncing cultural representations of violence against women in India, Japan,

Pakistan, Perú, and the United States. These artists challenge traditional representa-
tions of violence against women and denounce the canonical values imposed by soci-
ety, such as the ideals of masculinity and femininity and those relationships based on
power. The images contain myriad intentional details, reflecting the complexities of
the stories of victims and survivors of gender-based violence.
The conference and exhibition provided a holistic platform for participants to
explore the interplay between global representations of violence against women and
historical and contemporary discourses. The events opened conversations around a
global concern of violence against women, bringing vital attention and action to an
urgent global epidemic.
The conference keynote address was delivered in two parts, by Dr. Claire Renzetti
and Dr. Gloria White-Hammond (for a complete account of the keynote remarks, see
http://www.lesley.edu/news/violence-against-women-a-grassroots-movement-then-
and-now). Each speaker discussed their personal and professional experiences associ-
ated with violence against women—experiences that intersected with themes related
to courage, sisterhood, religion, and the enduring need for activism. Dr. Renzetti
stressed the importance of sisterhood as a powerful means to combat sexism and gen-
der violence. In the 1970s, Dr. Renzetti and fellow female activists began to notice that
their male counterparts took on leadership roles in defining the “movement,” while the
women supported the work in gender-stereotyped ways: “They engaged in the heated
political debates. We cooked for them and we cleaned for them, and we had sex with
them.” Dr. White-Hammond posed the importance of being an advocate, referring to
herself as a “warrior woman” fighting to empower women worldwide. She motivated
attendees, declaring, “We will have victory when it’s not just #MeToo and it’s
#WeToo—when we all take ownership of this issue.” In the spirit of Dr. Renzetti’s and
Dr. White-Hammond’s calls for action, this volume opens the door to future collabora-
tions as the articles reflect efforts that cross borders and boundaries, physical and vir-
tual spaces, challenging assumptions and inertia.
The idea of the initiative on Violence Against Women was born in 2016. Over the
next 2 years, Dr. Meenakshi Chhabra, Dr. Lisa Fiore, and Dr. Sonia Pérez-Villanueva
worked together to create the Violence Against Women Initiative at Lesley University,
organize and launch the conference and exhibition, and envision and nurture the
themed issue of this journal. Our definition of women is all-embracing, and involves
gender nuisances to include violence against transgender communities. The three edi-
tors have come to recognize and celebrate the common threads that stand out for them
in their own personal and professional lives, and how these threads weave together a
fabric that sustains their relationships with each other and fellow contributors. The
editors share a bit of their own stories below to extend the relationship to you, the
reader, and to give voice to otherwise invisible inspirations.
Dr. Chhabra’s connection to the issue is both professional and personal. As a prac-
titioner and scholar whose work centers on conflict and postconflict contexts, she has
been a witness to women and young girls sharing their personal narratives about the
use of violence, particularly sexual abuse and rape, as a weapon of war. These women
4 Violence Against Women 00(0)

come together across protracted conflict lines to take a stand against the violence and
act as agents of peace in their respective communities. Growing up in India, Dr.
Chhabra is also aware of the rampant violence against women in private and public
spaces. A survivor of domestic intimate partner violence herself, Dr. Chhabra person-
ally grappled with the legal, social, and cultural barriers that prevent women from
bringing voice to the violence or seeking and claiming justice. This was exemplified
in the 2012 rape case in India, which was widely reported globally (e.g., Timmons &
Gottipati, 2012). What is missing from the reporting is the remarkable rise in social
movements in India in response to the incident—movements across the country
demanding education and attention to the issue of violence against women. Most of
these have been led by women and young women calling for appropriate societal and
legal responses to address the concerns. Examples of these include: The Nirbhaya
Movement after the 2012 incident; Pinjra Tod, a movement of women college students
that challenges imposing laws in the name of protecting women; I Will Go Out,
demanding equal rights of women to public spaces; and Stop Acid Sale, raising voice
against acid attacks on women. Although the court systems are still not equipped to
handle the number of cases, and victims wait endlessly for justice to prevail, there has
been a marked increase in the reporting of rape cases to the police in India, from
25,000 in 2012 to more than 38,000 in 2016 (see https://www.bbc.com/news/world-
asia-india-43782471). It is also noteworthy that many young men are actively joining
and supporting these movements as allies. For Dr. Chhabra, the exhibit, conference,
and journal issue are actions to honor these multiple voices, to lay bare the compli-
cated discourse around violence against women, and to come together across borders
and boundaries and stop this pervasive phenomenon.
Dr. Fiore’s professional work has brought into acute focus the intersections between
violence and instability related to education, housing, food, and personal and financial
security. Recent data indicate that approximately 22 to 57% of women experiencing
homelessness cite domestic violence as the immediate precursor to entering emer-
gency housing (Family & Youth Services Bureau, 2016). Violence remains the pri-
mary impetus for women to seek emergency shelter, and the services currently
available to women (and often their children) are not sufficiently serving the needs of
all survivors, thereby perpetuating cycles of poverty, trauma, and crisis that dramati-
cally affect women and children’s development. Recognizing that children are the
most vulnerable citizens in the United States, alumna Laurie Schoen provided funding
to establish the Child Homelessness Initiative at Lesley University in 2011. Dr. Fiore
has guided the work of this initiative, forming relationships with educators, commu-
nity activists and advocates, and legislators to strengthen and broaden the impact of
individual efforts. Over the years, an academic curriculum has been developed and
community actions have evolved to raise awareness and refocus the lens on women as
victims and survivors. Dr. Fiore’s commitment and energy are reinforced through
working and learning with others who strive to replace the passive with the pro/active
voice and action.
Dr. Pérez-Villanueva is a scholar of Spanish literary, cultural, and gender studies
and has published interdisciplinary work that compares representations of violence
Chhabra et al. 5

against women in Spanish theater, prose, art, and film to expose and dispel cultural and
historical notions of “beauty” in female suffering. Her research addresses how the
persistent problem of violence against women in Spain has been obscured by the rep-
resentation of female pain and suffering as a form of beauty. Analysis of material and
visual cultures, supported by literature from the 16th to 21st centuries, demonstrates
that female suffering has been cast in ways that make violence against women socially
acceptable or even desirable. For Dr. Pérez-Villanueva, the #MeToo and other move-
ments have raised social awareness all over the world and influenced governments to
pass new laws, but there is still work to be done in how violence against women is
portrayed culturally. For example, in 2004, the Spanish government passed the Ley
Orgánica (the Organic Law) to protect victims of domestic violence. These positive
developments, however, are overshadowed by the persistence of violations of wom-
en’s human rights in Spain. Since the Ley Orgánica came into effect, the number of
homicide victims remains significant with an alarming figure of 1,017 women killed
in Spain as a result of intimate violence perpetrated by men (www.inmujer.gob.es). In
Spain, Dr. Pérez-Villanueva argues society’s acceptance and/or denial of gender-based
violence has deep roots. As evident in Spain’s legal, visual, literary, and cultural his-
tory, the historical roots underlying the portrayal of violence against women affects
how the laws are applied, even in modern times.
This special issue focuses on violence against women from a global perspective. In
response to demonstrations around the world protesting the epidemic of violence
against women, practices in many countries are changing. Legislative bodies are mod-
ifying existing laws, or creating new legislation, to protect victims and survivors.
India, Spain, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, France, El Salvador, Jordan, and Lebanon are
some examples, yet there is more to be done. The three editors of this issue recognized
the platforms of the Violence Against Women Conference, the 3:1 Art Exhibition, and
this publication as three action steps in combating this global concern. Similarly, the
contributors to this guest-edited issue are not one-dimensional academics who submit-
ted their work for publication. Each author and artist is very much an activist in their
own right, striving for change. The articles not only reveal the perdurable issues asso-
ciated with gender-based violence in different contexts but also describe inspirational
actions taken to end this epidemic.
In the article, The Maternal Frame and the Rise of the Counterpublic Among Naga
Women in India, Payel Ghosh explores how women from the Naga tribal communities
in India are attempting to use their tradition-specific gender roles of motherhood to
gain agency and resist the formation of a hostile, gendered social space. This stems
from resistance to systemic patriarchy and violence perpetrated by the State.
SAHIYO Stories: Shattering the Silence on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting by
Mariya Taher promotes voice and empowerment—breaking the silence about female
genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) in the United States. The digital story project
described in the article is an example of collaborative action that goes beyond raising
awareness; it allows individuals to share their lived experiences and articulate the “com-
plicated nuances and dynamics” of an often invisible issue. The article describes how
people are actively working to change laws in Massachusetts and around the world.
6 Violence Against Women 00(0)

A Space to Speak: Therapeutic Theatre to Address Gender-based Violence by

Gabrielle Arias and colleagues is a collaboration among eight graduate students and
faculty in the drama therapy program at Lesley University. The article describes the
processes and outcomes this group experienced when creating and performing a the-
ater piece centered on gender-based violence. The author/actors invite the audience
into the experience through performance, to engage with real-life experiences through
listening, telling, and performing. In similar fashion, the author/actors invite readers to
be active participants and collaborators honoring stories, thereby becoming activists.
In A Scholar’s Reflection on Intimate Partner Violence in the Cape Verdean
Community, Dawna Thomas highlights the complex challenges and barriers in address-
ing intimate partner violence in the Cape Verdean community in the United States.
This is a powerful example of how engaging with stories illuminates hopes for social
change. A critical element described in the article is how the author shared her findings
back with the communities, opening dialogue that led to additional stories and an
ongoing process of change.
The poems by Danielle Georges and Clara Eugenia Ronderos are rooted in social
justice. They challenge the reader to examine the oppressive nature of language that
plays out in different ways—in a racist comment, in microaggressions, and even in
fables and fairy tales. Professor Georges invites the reader to witness the power of
poetry as “a shield, a weapon, and a light.” As a woman of color, she pushes the bound-
aries of her art to bring attention to issues of justice pertaining to Black people, people
of color, and women of color, interrogating the pervasive, overbearing, and often
insensitive and sensationalizing language around gender-based violence. Dr.
Ronderos’s work shares the same tone as her poetry takes a sharp, critical look at fairy
tales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood, and others to
explore the hidden violence embedded in these popular narratives. She demystifies the
women’s roles reinforced by these fairy tales, and offers her readers a newly informed
and subversive version of the myth in the form of a poetic proposal.
We wish to thank several individuals who contributed to this issue in various stages
of its evolution, and begin with our university colleagues, whose proximity to the
work is in no way proportional to the generosity extended to the Violence Against
Women Initiative. First, Dr. Richard Hansen who, in his role as an interim Provost,
believed in the Violence Against Women Initiative and funded the work in a way that
formally launched the efforts. Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
(CLAS), Steven Shapiro; Dean of Lesley University’s College of Art and Design (LA
+ D; 2013–2019), Richard Zauft; Chair of Humanities, Dr. Christine Evans; and Vice
Provost for Academic Affairs, Lisa Ijiri, provided invaluable support and imagination.
To Philip Meiralcott, we extend sincere thanks for the expertise, energy, and shared
appreciation for the Oxford comma that will ensure that the ideas expressed in this
issue reach a broad audience and continue to stretch our own thinking about challeng-
ing topics. We are especially grateful for the patience and friendship of Bonnie
Robinson and Andrew Mroczek, our tenacious Lesley colleagues in LA + D. Their
guidance, talents, and humor contributed to the powerful 1 in 3 exhibition that comple-
Chhabra et al. 7

mented the inaugural conference, inspiring important dialogue and action in our com-
munity and beyond.
In the Cambridge and Boston community, we extend our thanks to members of
several area organizations who have collaborated with us from the beginning of this
initiative. Colleagues at Transition House, in particular, have been tremendous part-
ners in these efforts, and we look forward to continuing the work together. Thanks go
to Mariya Taher and the SAHIYO Stories team for their perseverance and imperative
work on genital cutting and mutilation prevention. Heartfelt thanks also go to
Christopher Edwards, Jennifer Rohn, and their team of actors for their art and reading
of Suzan-Lori Parks’s In the Blood at the conclusion of the Violence Against Women
conference in November 2018.
We share again our warmth and gratitude with Dr. Claire Renzetti and Dr. Gloria
White-Hammond—two deeply motivating forces for change. Their inspirational mes-
sages and actions related to violence prevention and hope will carry this important
work farther than any of us could carry it alone.
The work presented in this special issue is a call for action to put a stop to violence
against women. The primary, motivating objective of these efforts is to open conversa-
tions around a global concern about violence against women and bring attention to an
epidemic that is not confined by geography, religion, or time. It is our belief that the
works within these pages will help transform awareness into action with new under-
standing about how representations of violence against women affect humanity.
We invite you to think about ways that you would like to share and apply these
works in your own particular setting—as an artist, educator, activist, citizen, and/or
scholar. We invite you to explore and create new meanings from your own work and
to engage with your own stories—not simply to interpret and analyze the contents of
this issue, but to bring about a deeper awareness of individual and collective experi-
ences. We invite you to amplify our call for action and thereby become a part of it.

Authors’ Note
Dr. Meenakshi Chhabra, Dr. Lisa Fiore, and Dr. Pérez-Villanueva are co-founders of the
Violence Against Women Initiative at Lesley University.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of
this article.

ORCID iDs
Meenakshi Chhabra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6855-6123
Lisa B. Fiore https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9692-3613
8 Violence Against Women 00(0)

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sep/26/almost-75-of-all-children-are-subjected-to-violence-each-year-research-finds
Russell, C. (2017, January 10). The tipping point: Can the world end female genital mutilation/
cutting? Medium. https://medium.com/@Amb_CathyRussell/the-tipping-point-can-the-
world-end-female-genital-mutilation-cutting-838a7ce3413a#.t2har6om5
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Author Biographies
Meenakshi Chhabra is a Professor and Director of the International Higher Education program
at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. As a scholar and practitioner in Peace and Conflict
Studies, she has been recognized as a Fulbright Specialist in the field. Her research interests
include peace education, youth leadership, and trauma and resilience in conflict contexts, and she
continues to work with youth and educators in international conflict and post-conflict contexts.
Lisa B. Fiore, PhD, is a Professor of Early Childhood Education and Director of the Child
Homelessness Initiative at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She is currently involved in
several efforts anchored in education and human development, including social-emotional
learning in PreK-12 school districts, strengthening faculty-administrator relationships through
an intercultural lens, and integrating inspiration from citizens and practices in Reggio Emilia,
Italy into teaching and learning contexts for children and families.
Sonia Pérez-Villanueva, is a scholar from the Basque Country, Spain, holds a PhD in Spanish
Studies from the University of Birmingham in England. She is currently an Associate Professor
of Spanish Studies in the Department of Humanities, and the Coordinator of Languages at
Lesley University, in Cambridge, MA.