Too often, institutional responses to power-based violence fall short for numerous reasons. First, they may fall short because they were not addressed in a timely manner–either because leadership did not know, or more likely, because those who spoke up were silenced. Second, they may fall short because in the process of saving face and protecting the reputation of the institution or the person who has harmed, the needs of those who have been harmed come second. It is no longer acceptable for institutions to protect their own reputations at the expense of those who’ve been harmed. As such, to combat that institutions can work to develop victim-centered responses. Victim-centered responses:
- Prioritize the needs of those who have been harmed.
- Protect the confidentiality and privacy of those who have been harmed.
- Offer multiple avenues towards justice and healing, including restorative justice. Punitive measures are not the only option.
- Do not speculate what *may* have occurred, but rather transparently address that there have been people harmed and the general categories of harm that occurred.
- Require a deep humility on part of leadership–they must listen, they must hold trauma, anger, sadness, and they must not get defensive.
- Enable those who have been harmed to lead the accountability, justice, and healing processes at the pace they want to.
Responding to, Addressing, and Preventing Power-Based Violence in Muslim Communities
As such, in order to respond to and prevent power-based violence effectively, institutions need to work at every level –individual, community, and systemic–to create the change. Those who do harm must be addressed, and the people, structures, and systems that enable that harm must also be addressed. From one-on-one crisis intervention and community education, to institutional response and policy change, there is a critical role for every member of society. Moreover, it is crucial for leaders in institutions to understand why victims don’t report and the barriers to disclosure, to work towards making it easier for victims to come forward and seek safety.
We will not be able to eradicate power-based violence without everyone committing to play a role, and working to institutionalize the following norms into our culture:
Believe those who come forward
Often, some of the first people survivors disclose to is someone they know: a neighbor, a family member, a friend, a teacher, an imam or someone else in leadership. Yet, too often these individuals are not equipped to respond to the disclosure. Instead of supporting them and offering resources, these “first responders” do not believe them, shame them and blame them for the harm they have experienced, and do not direct them to services that can help. The RAHMA principles, were developed by HEART initially to offer individuals an easy-to-implement framework for response to any sort of sensitive disclosure.
Everyone –including and especially institutional leadership–should know how to respond to a disclosure. The way one responds in the moment of disclosure can have a lifelong impact on the survivors ability to heal and seek help. The RAHMA principles offer a framework that individuals can follow to respond to a disclosure, in the moment of crisis, and independent of the accountability and justice process.
Institutions and leaders need more training & education
Another important step to culture change at the community and institutional level is for those in leadership positions to immerse themselves in ongoing education and training to develop a deep understanding of the spectrum of power-based violence. This includes engaging in comprehensive anti-racism, gender-equity, and anti-oppression trainings that explore how systems of oppression perpetuates power-based violence. It is crucial to reflect on how the staff and leadership at the institution are supporting the full diversity of their communities, and the ways in which they are not reaching marginalized identities. Marginalized identities face additional vulnerabilities, including a higher risk of being harmed and not disclosing. True culture shift and prevention cannot occur without a serious commitment to internal work.
Nurture intentional collaborations
Another step towards meeting the needs of those who have been harmed is to begin bridging the gap between professional expertise and services, and Muslim leadership. For several decades, Muslim women have been at the forefront of addressing power-based violence, including gender-based violence through their work in mainstream secular institutions, culturally-specific direct services organizations, community and youth development organizations, academic and Islamic scholarship, and education and prevention-based organizations. These women hold expertise in the fields of public health, social work, sex education, Islamic law, violence prevention, and community organizing. Despite this, religious leadership remains disconnected from those doing work on the ground and remain resistant to authentic partnership. Increased collaboration and partnership between religious and community leaders and power-based violence experts is not only long overdue, but critical for the future health of our communities at large.
In order to treat those who have been harmed with the compassion and justice they deserve, it is critical to place the onus on society and institutions to make reporting power-based violence, such as spiritual abuse, and seeking help more accessible and encompassing. Muslim survivors of spiritual abuse and power-based violence exist, and in a heightened environment of gendered Islamophobia, xenophobia, anti-blackness, and anti-Muslim sentiment, it is imperative that our communities do not fail those who have been harmed and further enable systems of racism, patriarchy, Islamophobia, and interconnected systems that enable violence towards Muslims.
Resources on Power-Based Violence
- Power and Control Wheel
- Barriers to Disclosure Video
- Avenues of Support
- Facts about Sexual Violence in Muslim Communities
- Responding with RAHMA: A Guide for Disclosures
- Removing Roadblocks: Examining Barriers to Justice & Healing to Build More Victim-Centric Services for Muslim Survivors of Sexual Assault
- The FYI Religious/Spiritual Abuse Toolkit
Trained experts on violence, oppression, trauma, Islamic law and mental health
- Peaceful Families Project
- Transformharm.org
- Muslim Wellness Foundation
- MuslimARC
- Justice for Muslims Collective
- Masjid al-Rabia
- KARAMAH
Hotlines & Mandated reporting:
- National Domestic Violence Hotline Call 1-800-799-7233 (24/7)
- RAINN: Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network Call 1-800-656-4673 (24/7)
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline Call 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- State-Specific Database on Mandated Reporting
