November 22, 2023
Oakland, CA — The Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence (API-GBV) is horrified by the violence in the Israel-Hamas war. We are struggling to process our grief while continuing to educate ourselves and remain engaged. While we have heard about the hostage deal and temporary pause in violence, we know that this is not a long-term solution. As antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobic hate, and division in the U.S. rise and continue to impact our communities, we extend our support and pleas to work in solidarity to permanently end the violence.
Our hearts are with all those who are suffering as civilian lives continue to be victimized, displaced, and lost. As seen through past wars, conflicts, and oppressions, gender-based violence is used as a weapon to further devastate communities, disproportionately impacting women, children, elders, and those with disabilities. Conflict has never been gender neutral, and neither will its enduring consequences.
API-GBV remains in solidarity with all survivors of gender-based violence and prioritizes safety for the people in Palestine and Israel. We are calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the loss of innocent lives in this humanitarian crisis.
We understand how difficult it is to be scared for loved ones and offer our strong support to advocates and direct services organizations, who are shouldering the burden of the impact of this conflict, while remaining resilient in the face of hate. Furthermore, we grieve with those in our communities who have lost loved ones in the conflict or who remain in danger.
Below is a list of resources to provide additional support for those in need:
- Crisis Text Line: crisistextline.org
- Get Help Israel’s Crisis Support Center: gethelpisrael.com/webpage/?title=israel-crisis-support-center
- The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding’s Muslim Mental Health Toolkit: ispu.org/mental-health
- Khalil Center Mental Health Services: khalilcenter.com/mental-health-services
- Naseeha: naseeha.org
- The Safe Place: iOS app, apple.com/us/app/the-safe-place/id1349460763
- Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund Mental Health Resources: saldef.org/mentalhealth/
- The Sikh Coalition: sikhcoalition.org/
- Sikh Family Center Mental Health Resources: sikhfamilycenter.org/mental-health/
- Stones to Bridges: stonestobridges.org
- Stop AAPI Hate Community Resources: stopaapihate.org/community-resources/
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About Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence:
The Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) is a culturally specific national resource center on domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence in Asian/Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. API-GBV envisions a world free of gender-based violence for communities with equal opportunities for all to thrive. For more information about API-GBV, visit www.api-gbv.org.