FCT Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Team

May this holiday season be filled for you all...
With joy, laughter, and cherished moments with family and friends.

May this holiday season be filled for you all with joy, laughter, and cherished moments with family and friends.

• If you are worried about a friend’s safety, stay in touch and be creative. Avoid making the abuser suspicious so that communication lines can stay open.
• Ask your friend how they prefer to connect. It is important to establish a safe communication channel since they will be, in many instances, physically close to the abuser who might be monitoring conversations.
• Be supportive and believe them. Reassure them that they are not alone and that help and support are available.
• Help them think through how to stay safe during lockdowns. Help your friend create a plan for lockdown situations. Are there other friends or family they could stay with during this time? Consider helping them to reach out to these people to make a plan.
• Respect their right to consent. Unless you strongly believe that your friend’s life is in danger, avoid taking actions without their consent.
• Respect their privacy. Because of safety issues, stigma, feelings of shame, and victim-blaming that survivors often face, it is critical that their experiences and identity remain confidential, unless they give explicit consent to reveal them.
• Offer practical assistance and share resources. Let your friend know that you want to help. If you are able, offer them a safe place to stay, transportation, or other forms of support that may increase their safety.

Do You Know?
You can talk with someone who has been trained to help by calling our Hotline: 08078111126.

Do You Know?
It is important to think through several plausible reasons for leaving home at different times of the day or night in case you need to escape from a violent enviroment.

DO YOU KNOW?
This plan may include, for instance, creating a secret code or multiple code words, sentences, or emojis that would help you communicate more safely with them.

Do You Know?
Today marks the end of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, but not the end of the fight to prevent and end gender-based violence. Hence the need to Hold each other accountable.
Let's Unite to create a safer environment for everyone by challenging our peers to reflect on their own behaviour and speaking up when someone crosses the line, or by enlisting the help of others if they don’t feel safe.
Don't be a passive bystander: If you see something ,don't just say something, do something.

Do You Know?
Survivor-blaming is a harmful attitude that essentially blames the victim for being assaulted rather than the perpetrator. In conversations about s*xual violence, it's critical to recognize that a survivor's sobriety, clothing, and s*xuality are irrelevant.
Instead, challenge the belief that men and boys must gain power through violence, and question the idea of s*x as a right.
**eculture

Do You Know?
Freely given consent is mandatory, every time. Rather than listening for a “no,” make sure there is an active, “yes,” from all involved. Adopt enthusiastic consent in your life and talk about it.

Every day we have the opportunity to examine our behaviours and beliefs for biases that permit r**e culture to continue.
Think about how you define masculinity and femininity, and how your own biases and stereotypes influence you.
From the attitudes we have about gender identities to the policies we support in our communities, we can all take action to stand against r**e culture.

Do You Know?
You can create a safer environment for everyone by challenging your peers to reflect on their own behaviour and speaking up when someone crosses the line, or by enlisting the help of others if you don’t feel safe.

Do You Know?
By maintaining an environment where speaking up is discouraged, perpetrators are shielded from accountability, and the status quo is preserved.