“For every woman who came forward, there were countless others who were silenced.” Today’s woman dreamer, Co-Executive Director of Saheli, Divya Chaturvedi, brings kindness, compassion, and purpose to helping women every day. As April is Sexual Assault Prevention Month, Divya shares her expertise on how you can get involved in the cause and virtual events happening this month, stigmas around sexual assault specific to South Asian communities, and the power of movements and coming forward. A woman dreamer drawn to social justice at an early age, it is a pleasure to share her story!

1.Tell us your background and story. Why are women's causes important to you?

I was drawn to social justice causes from an early age. As a college student in India, I volunteered at a national women’s organization which held a weekly free legal clinic for dowry victims. These were horrific cases of torture and abuse of innocent young brides for dowry. These cases and the abuse that women suffered made a deep impression on me and I became determined to work on gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. 

Pursuing my passion to empower women, I had the privilege of working for organizations like United Nations, Ford Foundation, or the Center for Creative Leadership in US, India, Africa and South-east Asia. My career path has taken me all over the world working on a range of gender issues from empowering women to be financially independent though microloans and micro-savings to developing leadership abilities in women. I have been inspired by the passion and mission of people I have worked with but even more by the resiliency and strength of women in the face of adversity. As a current Co-Executive Director at Saheli, I see the same strength and resiliency in the survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and that motivates me to continually strive to works towards empowering women and girls. 

2. There have been a lot of movements recently where women have come forward and shared their experiences with sexual assault. What are your thoughts on this and what would you say to encourage women to keep coming forward? 

Movements like #MeToo or #timesup allowed women from all over the world to share their stories of sexual harassment and sexual assault. But for every woman who came forward, there were countless others who were silenced by shame, guilt, fear of family and community and cultural taboos surrounding sex and sexuality. For most South Asian women, their experiences of sexual assault, rape, molestation, and violence remain untold and unreported. The few women who have the courage to disclose their stories face skepticism and disbelief and, worse, blame for what happened to them. 

This is why such movements are powerful because they create a space for women to come forward and reveal just how pervasive sexual violence is in society. Every shared story of sexual assault builds courage in other women who have gone through similar experiences. But being heard is not enough. What is more important is for the survivors to be believed.  As a society we need to move away from a culture of shame and victim blaming and create safe spaces for women to share, to seek help, and to heal from their trauma. We need to understand that a survivor has the choice to disclose or report or take legal action. It is the survivors’ choice alone, and as a society we need to respect and believe in that choice

3.Many South-Asian women are hesitant to come forward or have these conversations on sexual assault. What are your tips/advice on this, and what are some trends you have seen in your experience?

It is an unfortunate fact that sexual assault remains one the most underreported crimes. According the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, approximately 1 in 5 (or an estimated 25 million) women are raped at some point in their lifetime in the US and over 50% were under the age of 18 when they were raped. For immigrant women the numbers are much higher with some studies reporting that they are twice as likely to experience sexual violence in their lifetime. 

In South Asian culture, the taboo around sex and sexuality reinforces patriarchal values and norms that inhibits women from reporting sexual assault. Women are burdened with the weight of maintaining honor of the family and any transgression brings shame to the entire family. If there is sexual assault, the blame lies with the victim for somehow overstepping the boundaries and inciting assault. These harmful cultural norms of honor and shame effectively muzzle women forcing them to suffer in silence and punishing them and their families for speaking out. South Asian women in the US struggle with these cultural norms even as they face the stress of acculturation, isolation, and language barriers. Lack of knowledge about their rights, financial dependency, uncertain immigration status, fear of deportation and losing their US born kids silence women further and hinder them from reporting and accessing help for sexual assault. 

Another taboo issue in South Asian culture is marital rape. Sexual assault also includes rape or attempted rape within marriage or intimate relationship. However, the shame and stigma around sex and sexual violence in the South Asian community also means that rape within marriages is rarely understood and reported even less. 

When South Asian women do seek help, they find that many mainstream agencies that help victims of sexual assault are not equipped to understand the culture and language barriers of immigrant South Asian women. This adds to their reluctance to come forward. Community based domestic violence organizations like Saheli that are culturally competent and offer language assistance can help survivors of sexual assault break their isolation and provide them the necessary support that they need. Survivors can also receive counseling from trained and trauma informed advocates and get the necessary support with police, courts, and other agencies.  

As a community, it is important to invest in education and raising awareness of these issues through discussions in both formal and informal social groups. Bringing these issues in the open will also lessen the shame and stigma surrounding sexual violence. Elevating voices of women and believing in their stories will further encourage women and girls to come forward and seek help so that they can heal from their trauma and lead a safer, better, happier life. 

4. Many women are also afraid of the repercussions of getting authorities involved in cases of domestic abuse / violence. What are the appropriate steps these women should follow?

As I mentioned previously, language barriers, privacy issues, shame and stigma surrounding sexual violence constrain survivors in reporting and seeking help. For South Asian women in the US, who have seen rapists and abusers protected by the government and police in their home country, there is distrust of law enforcement and a strong reluctance to get involved with the police. Uncertain immigration status and fear of deportation coupled with a lack of understanding of the American criminal justice system and their rights as victims makes it challenging for survivors to report to law enforcement and to understand their options. 

However, it goes without saying that if someone has experienced sexual assault or if they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, the important thing to do is to call 911. If possible, survivors should contact the local police department or campus-based law enforcement if the assault was on college campus. There are specific law enforcement officers who are trained to interact with sexual assault survivors and by asking for such officers, a survivor can have a better experience with law enforcement. 

If they need to go to the hospital for injuries resulting from sexual assault, they can choose to undergo the sexual forensic exam or they can let the medical professional know that they wish to report the crime. The decision to report to law enforcement is entirely the survivor’s. While some feel they need to report to regain a sense of control over their lives, others may not be ready and be in need for time to process and think about their options. 

Agencies like Saheli or Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) are there to provide support, guidance, and help for sexual assault survivors. BARCC has a 24/7 hotline at 800-841-8371 for survivors and trained staff members who can guide and walk the sexual assault survivor through the process of getting help. Saheli’s trained advocates who understand the language and culture of South Asian and Arab survivors are also a resource. Saheli’s helpline is 1-866-472-4354 and enables a survivor to connect with a trained staff member. There are also other national agencies that can connect survivors to local agencies. 

Agencies in Massachusetts:

Boston Area Rape Crisis Center - https://barcc.org

Saheli Inc, - https://saheliboston.org

Center for Hope and Healing – https://chhinc.org

National Organization:

National Sexual Violence Resource Center - https://www.nsvrc.org

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) - https://www.rainn.org

 The most important thing for sexual assault survivors to know is that what happened to them is not their fault, and that is okay to reach out to help. Agencies that support survivors offer a safe, non-judgmental space for survivors to access help and healing. It is my hope that as a society we create and the same safe space to all survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence so we can move away from a cycle of violence and abuse and embrace love, kindness, and healing. 

5.What are some events/initiatives happening during this sexual assault awareness month that interested people might get involved with?  

Saheli is partnering with South Asian Student Associations in various college campuses in Massachusetts as well as BARCC, Jane Doe Inc, and Every Voice Matters for a virtual sexual assault awareness event on April 29. 

There are sexual assault awareness events listed on National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) www.nsvrc.org. You can still participate in NSVRC's #30DaysofSAAM IG contest!  https://www.nsvrc.org/saam

6. As a dreamcatchers platform we have to ask, what is your next big dream? 

I dream of leaving footprints of kindness and compassion. I dream of living a life of purpose and gratitude and joy. I dream of women and girls reaching their full potential. And, I dream of a society where we can express compassion to others and practice beautiful acts of kindness.

Bio: Divya Chaturvedi became Saheli’s Co-Executive Director in 2018. She holds an MPA degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). She brings more than 15+ years of global non-profit management experience passionately working on a range of gender issues from microfinance, domestic violence and gender research, to leadership development at a number of world’s leading international organizations and academic institutions like UNDP, UNIFEM, Ford Foundation, and Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). Divya has a long-term commitment to the cause of reducing domestic violence and the economic empowerment of women in the South Asian communities.

Thank You Divya for Sharing Your Story with our Global Women’s Network! We are excited to have you for our global women’s network!

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