News and Events

Upcoming Webinar: Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation: An Under-Recognized Form of GBV in the US

Upcoming Webinar: Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation: An Under-Recognized Form of GBV in the US

April 15, 2021
8:30am HST / 11:30am PST / 1:30pm CST / 2:30pm EST (90m)

Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is a reality for many women and girls across different communities in the United States. Yet, for centuries, FGM/C has remained a hidden tradition. It’s often practiced by women to women, and girls are raised to believe they must remain silent about what they underwent. Silence is an endemic or inherent part of this type of gender violence that can lead to lifelong physical and emotional health consequences. At the core of providing better prevention, protection, health and social support services for women and girls is stronger data, enhanced research, and community engagement. Join Sahiyo, the Asian-Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, and the U.S. End FGM/C Network for an exploration of FGM/C, its connection to gender-based violence, and how COVID-19 has impacted the movement to abandon FGM/C in the US.

Register here
Bridges: A Connect Call for Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders Addressing Gender-Based Violence

Bridges: A Connect Call for Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders Addressing Gender-Based Violence

RSVP now for the April call!
Apr 21, 2021 (9am HST / 12pm PST / 2pm CST / 3pm EST)

These bi-monthly community connect calls are intended to be a space for AANHPI advocates, community members, and allies to connect, dialogue, share successes, problem solve, and network. API-GBV staff will be available to moderate and encourage discussion, but this is a space for YOU, as the experts of this work, to share your experiences and to learn from allies across the country.

April’s Theme: Sexual Assault Awareness Month + Anti-AAPI Violence

While racism and violence against Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. has recently catapulted into wider attention, our communities have endured hate as long as their history in this country. From the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese Internment Camps, to every day exotification and fetishization of AAPI women and assaults against AAPI elders, AAPI individuals have been made to feel like outsiders in their own country.

In April’s call, we will hold space for advocates, community members, and allies to reflect on the tragedy in Atlanta, the escalation of harassment against Asians, and how embedded misogyny and racism manifest into sexual violence against AAPI individuals. Whether you show up from a place of sorrow for the victims and survivors, anger that our vulnerable are being targeted, or frustration that it has taken Atlanta’s shootings to draw attention to a fight our communities have been fighting for decades, you will be welcome. We hope that the call will be an opportunity to honor our emotional responses, as well as a chance to envision solutions and learn about what is being done.

Future meeting themes will be determined based on participants’ interest.


Other details:

Meetings will be hosted on Zoom, and you are encouraged to join with video and voice to the extent that you are comfortable. These calls will not be recorded, but we may share takeaways, without identifying information, with our staff or community.

If you cannot make the April call, but would like to be on the list for future dates, please email sluo@api-gbv.org.

To RSVP, please use the form below, or click here to open it in another window.

Webinar for Advocates and Adult Allies! Sexual Harassment & AAPI Teens

Webinar for Advocates and Adult Allies! Sexual Harassment & AAPI Teens

Do you know what signs to look for and what steps to take if a teen or young adult encounters sexual or other harassment in the workplace? At the EEOC, we have seen that young workers at their first jobs can be especially vulnerable to harassment whether due to sex, national origin and other characteristics. Make a difference in the lives of the Asian and Pacific Islander teens and young adults you serve by learning how to recognize and refer cases, and understanding the role you can play to address workplace sexual harassment.

Presented by EEOC San Francisco. Hosted by API-GBV.

Related Resources

Presented by EEOC, SF. Hosted by API-GBV

March 2021

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Upcoming! A Conversation with Author Dr. Nusrat Rabbee: War Heroines Speak

Upcoming! A Conversation with Author Dr. Nusrat Rabbee: War Heroines Speak

April 22, 2021 at 5:30 pm PST (90m)

API-GBV is excited to be hosting a conversation with Dr. Nusrat Rabbee, author of War Heroines Speak: The Rape of Bangladeshi Women in 1971 War of Independence. During this session, you will learn about the use of rape as a weapon of genocide in the war of 1971, and how it impacted not only the women, but also society in post-war Bangladesh. Dr. Rabbee will explore where women’s rights and status are currently in Bangladesh, and what is currently being done to acknowledged gender-based violence in the country. She will also discuss how the events of 1971 connect to the movement to end gender-based violence today, across the world and in the United States. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and reflect on your own experience as an advocate or ally in this field during this dialogue.

RSVP Now

War Heroines Speak can be purchased from Amazon or your local bookstore

About War Heroines Speak

A book that tells the heroic and sorrowful stories of 7 women survivors who were subjected to rape and torture by Pakistani army during the 1971 Bangladesh war

In 1971, Pakistani army unleashed a bloody, brutal and barbaric genocide of Bengalis in then East Pakistan. Pakistan finally surrendered and East Pakistan was liberated as Bangladesh on 16th December, 1971. The world does not know the extent of the systematic rape and sexual violence on Bengali women and girls that took place during this 9-month war. This book is published in English for international audiences to bring awareness to these war crimes. The book is translated from ‘Ami Birangona Bolchi’ – an original anthology compiled by Dr. Nilima Chowdhury in Bangla in 1994.

No other book captures the true impact of the war in rural and urban Bangladesh – as well these simple stories. In these quiet narratives, the young women and children clearly express: how they went from an idyllic childhood to the horrors of genocide; how they continued to live with painful memories and social exclusion after the war. Very few survivors exist today from this holocaust of 1971. Most died at the hands of Pakistani army. These testimonies establish how Pakistan used systematic and planned rape as a weapon of war – as early as 1971.

Dr. Nusrat Rabbee hopes this translated book will help the world to understand the history behind this genocide and to hold Pakistan accountable for wartime crimes.

 

About the author:

Dr. Nusrat Rabbee is a writer and researcher on the 1971 War History of Bangladesh. She is a political activist and works as a Statistician/Machine Learning researcher in the Life Sciences. She holds a B.A. from Wellesley College, M.A. from Univ of California at Berkeley and a PhD from Harvard University

 

This event is made possible by Grant Number 90EV0430 from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

API-GBV Statement on Shootings at Atlanta-Area Spas and Crimes against Asian Americans

March 17, 2021

In shock and horror, we mourn the deaths of the eight victims of yesterday’s shootings at Atlanta-area spas. With the families of the victims, we grieve their loss.

Law enforcement in Atlanta have so far declined to deem the incident a hate crime, despite the fact that six out of eight victims were Asian women, the exotification of Asian women in media and sex work, and the shooter’s stated motive to “eliminate his temptations.”

But they are missing the point. The intersection of racism and misogyny has stood out starkly in the exponential violence experienced by the Asian community over the last year. When we locate last night’s incident within the surge of violence against Asian women, it becomes clear that misogyny against Asian women is so embedded into our culture that we do not notice it until it manifests into lethal violence.

And when we consistently allow sweeping generalizations and the model minority myth to dominate the narrative, we obscure the experiences of Asian families struggling with disproportionately high unemployment rates during the pandemic. When we brush incidents like yesterday’s off as isolated events motivated by opportunity, we fail to do justice to the Asian immigrant workers who are terrified to return to work today, and to the Asian elders who are afraid to stroll to the market in their own neighborhoods.

Violence against any community–and the misogyny, racism, and hate that spark it–hurts all of us. We remain heartened by the actions the Biden-Harris administration has taken to condemn racism against AAPI communities to recognize this. We stand in solidarity with our community, allies, and families of the victims to demand a thorough, transparent review of yesterday’s incident; and we call on leadership, policymakers, and law enforcement to listen to AAPI voices, uplift our experiences, and hold our safety and well-being as a priority.

 

3800+ incidents of hate, harassment, or racism have already been reported against Asian and Asian American individuals. Please visit the Stop AAPI Hate page to learn more, or to report an incident.

 

What is Gendered Islamophobia? 2021

What is Gendered Islamophobia? 2021

Building upon a history of shared values and intersecting work, the Partnership to End Gendered Islamophobia brings together HEART, Justice for Muslims Collective and Vigilant Love to build analysis, tools and power to dismantle Gendered Islamophobia. This workshop is specifically tailored towards practitioners in the field of gender-based violence and gender justice. We focus on ways practitioners can better understand how gendered Islamophobia shows up in their work, and ways to respond in holistic ways. The workshop includes a focus on the intersection of gendered Islamophobia, gender-based violence and reproductive justice. The workshop emphasizes the invisibility of state violence in understanding gender-based violence and particularly the implications of the War on Terror and Islamophobia for Muslim survivors of gender-based violence. Moreover, this workshop includes discussions upon intra-community solidarity and what can be done within broader Asian American spaces to address gendered Islamophobia.

Related Resources

Presented by the Partnership to End Gendered Islamophobia; Hosted  by API-GBV

March 2021

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Download the Community Report from the Partnership to End Gendered Islamophobia

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Past Events

Announcing Our New Executive Director!

Announcing Our New Executive Director!

To Our Communities, Colleagues and Supporters:

The Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence is pleased to announce that we have hired our next Executive Director, Monica Khant. We were fortunate to have a talented, experienced, and dedicated pool of applicants – which made our selection challenging and rewarding. Monica will start on March 15th, 2021 and you will be able to reach her at mkhant[at]api-gbv[dot]org.

 “We are thrilled that Monica is joining our team. Monica brings tremendous passion, experience and openness from her 15 year history of building and growing with the Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network (GAIN). She brings a strong collaborative and coalition building approach to her work both internally and externally. Our Board and Staff look forward to this coming phase of growth and community collaboration to uplift the voices and experiences of the AAPI communities that are impacted by violence. We are so pleased to bring her leadership skills and expertise to the Institute.” – Debbie Lee, Board Chair

 Monica came to us after 15 years as the Executive Director of GAIN in Atlanta, Georgia. Under her leadership, the organization grew from an all-volunteer organization to a staff of 12, and a $1+ million-dollar budget. She worked closely with the founders, board, donors and staff to ensure the organization’s effectiveness by focusing on alignment, scalability, and deliverables. Monica developed an innovative free legal services model for immigrants with law firms and corporations in Atlanta to provide legal services to victims of crime and persecution. Further, to strengthen GAIN’s work, she developed a strong multiracial coalition-building approach on a grassroots and state level in Georgia and also partnered with local and national organizations to influence policies that affected the immigrants they served. At GAIN, she demonstrated that she was a skillful fundraiser, who worked with government, private and corporate partners, and individual donors to foster involvement and raise awareness, while increasing revenue. In addition to her externally focused work, Monica invested in her staff, providing support, opportunities, and inspiration. The GAIN staff describes her as genuine, empowering, passionate, defiant, pioneering and tenacious.

Monica Khant states,

“It is an honor and privilege to join the Institute, after Chic Dabby’s tremendous legacy and years of dedicated leadership to this work. While representing immigrant clients, I firsthand have benefited from the treasure trove of resources, trainings, advocacy and collaborations that the Institute brings to the national and grassroots communities. The work that the expert team does at the Institute is nothing short of visionary and inspiring. I am grateful for the opportunity to join them as we continue to disrupt gender-based violence in AAPI communities. I am also committed to listening as I bring my passion for engaging and connecting communities nationally and hope to respond even deeper to our community’s needs. I look forward to meeting you as we are in this movement together.”

 

In addition to her leadership at GAIN, Monica was involved with other partnering organizations in Georgia to create and implement the Victim Legal Assistance Network to bring statewide holistic services to victims of crime. She also served as a Board member of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Raksha, which offers support, healing, and advocacy to South Asians and other immigrant survivors of violence. As an experienced trainer and national speaker, she shared her expertise on immigration law, as well as the intersection of immigrant rights, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, asylum, social services and economic security. With over two decades of experience in the non-profit legal community, she is also a speaker on leadership in the nonprofit community and has been awarded a prestigious fellowship on women’s leadership with International Women’s Forum. Monica is eager to extend her expertise to impact systemic changes at the local and national levels, strengthen communities, and create a broader understanding to influence culture and lives of AAPI survivors and their families.

We are looking forward to our partnership with Monica and the staff in continuing the Institute’s commitment to address gender-based violence through its leadership, its treasury of resources and collaboration with advocates, practitioners, service providers and community activists. Under her leadership, we are committed to continuing our current relationships and building new ones to better serve our communities. We hope you will extend a warm welcome to her into your networks, organizations, circles and communities.

With appreciation,
Debbie Lee, Leni Marin, Sujata Warrier, Lori Kodama and Linda Phan
On Behalf of the Board and Staff

Hiring: Policy Associate (Part time)

Hiring: Policy Associate (Part time)

Deadline: Feb 26, 2021

Policy Associate (20 hours per week)

The Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) is seeking a Policy Associate who is a highly motivated self-starter who is able to work in a fast-paced environment and handle a diverse workload. This position requires strong organization skills, combined with effective communication abilities to translate policy matters in a way that is timely and accessible to community members.

The Policy Associate position will provide opportunities for experienced candidates to work directly with policymakers, community members, and members of the media – or for less experienced candidates to grow into those additional responsibilities.

Reporting to the Director of Policy, the Policy Associate will assist in developing and implementing our policy priorities and advocacy strategies.

This position is a part-time (20 hours per week), non-exempt position with potential to become full time based on organizational need and budgetary constraints. Our main office operations are currently located in Oakland, California with other staff working from San Diego, Los Angeles, New Jersey and Seattle, WA. There are five (5) board members and eleven (11) full-time staff.

The position is preferably Seattle, WA or Oakland, CA based, however due to the pandemic, all staff are currently working remotely from home. Our ideal start date is March 29, 2021.

Download job description for more information, required qualifications, and application instructions

Monthly Updates: January 2021

Monthly Updates: January 2021

It’s a new year and a new administration, but for us at the Institute, the same commitment to uplifting the work, diversity, and needs of AAPI survivors. We will have many new resources, training opportunities, and announcements coming your way in the next few months; and we thank you for your interest and partnership!

Continue Reading

Highlights newsletters are sent around the beginning of each month. Sign up for emails to receive them in your inbox! 

Previous newsletters: 

See all previous monthly highlights here

Webinar: New Immigration Policy Updates and Their Impact on Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence

Webinar: New Immigration Policy Updates and Their Impact on Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence

This webinar has passed. Sign up for emails to stay up to date on upcoming trainings!

Through the years Congress, in a bipartisan manner, has supported the creation of immigration remedies to increase pathways to safety for survivors through VAWA and the TVPA. However, over the last several years, there has been an immense chilling effect on immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other crimes coming forward to seek safety. In addition, the promise of asylum has been intentionally undermined, threatening access to live-saving protections for those fleeing gender-based violence in their home countries.

This week, the new administration begins what we hope is a new chapter, especially in regards to how we center immigrant survivors in our policies and communities.

AIS is hosting a webinar designed for advocates who wish to learn more about how the new administration’s initial immigration policy developments address this chilling effect and may impact the communities we stand with and represent. We will include discussion about new executive orders and actions as well as pending legislation.

Join us to learn how these recent developments might affect survivors and learn about ways you can engage in advocacy efforts to enhance paths to safety and protection.

2020 Snapshot

2020 Snapshot

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Dear Friends,

Here we (finally!) are in the last hours of 2020. This year has not been easy. It’s been full of uncertainty, sacrifice, and difficult choices – and not just because of COVID-19. But even so, 2020 has also brought moments of triumph, reminders that our movement and our communities are just as strong as we believed them to be.

In 2020, the anti-violence movement found creative ways to fund programs, engage communities, collaborate between organizations, and deliver services.

In 2020, the voices of survivors, immigrants, and communities of color were heard on the streets and in the ballots — our communities stood against hate with a record-breaking turnout in AAPI votes in the November elections.

In 2020 we dug in and held fast to what we know to be true: that violence is never justified; that all people have the right to live, thrive, and breathe; that we are charged to protect and defend each other.

We learned how to work in kitchens and on couches while multitasking through homeschool and distractions from four-legged friends. We remembered that when systems fail us, it is our communities who have never let us down.

In many ways, this year has been deeply painful, but we hope that it has also brought you clarity about why this work matters. As we close out 2020, we wish you strength, joy, and purpose in the new year.

#16DaysofActivism to End Gender-Based Violence 2020

#16DaysofActivism to End Gender-Based Violence 2020

November 25 – December 10, 2020

We all have a shared responsibility to end violence against women. This year, for the #16Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women (Nov. 25) until Human Rights Day (Dec. 10), we are sharing 16 simple, every day things anyone can do, any day of year, to make a difference. Follow us (@apigbv) on Twitter or Facebook to help us spread awareness!
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Click here to see all the infographics in one image

Check out our activities for #16DaysOfActivism in previous years!

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