Commentary 25/03/08 Sexual violence survivors strengthen their economic agency

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Challenged, survivor members of STAND BY ME have taken matters into their hands — quite literally

STAND BY ME is a collective of survivors of gender-based violence in India. (Photo: Facebook)

By Jean D’Cunha

Published: March 08, 2025 04:06 AM GMT

Updated: March 08, 2025 04:07 AM GMT

"When the night has come, And the land is dark, And the moon is the only light we'll see, No I won't be afraid, Just as long as you stand, Stand by me."

American soul singer Ben E. King's Stand by Me resonated powerfully at the newly launched India-based network STAND BY ME — a powerful response of women survivors of violence and their supporters focused on economic agency of the former, and their related empowerment.

Theirs is a resounding call for "a ripple-to-ocean of public support," as they weave the tapestry of their broken lives into a compelling narrative of wholeness, resilience, agency and transformation by strengthening their economic security and independence with multiplier effects — whatever it takes!

This aptly resonates with today's International Women's Day call to "Accelerate Action" for gender equality

Survivor members of STAND BY ME and other survivors of sexual violence find it difficult to navigate the misogynist maze of the justice system from the moment of deciding to publicly report the crime to shocking court verdicts that compromise justice for women.

This rudely shakes women's trust in law enforcement and justice. It adds another level of complexity to the already traumatic psychological impacts of sexual violence.

While much is known about the legal and psychological dimensions of sexual violence, its economic impacts are less discussed. Sexual violence often results in lost employment andproductivityand other material resources for basic sustenance.

STAND BY ME survivors had their monthly allowances withdrawn by institutional authorities, and banned from pursuing their social outreach activities, triggering a sense of idle waiting in "nothingness" and anxiety. These were punitive and silencing tactics for tarnishing institutional honor and forcing legal cases to be withdrawn. Threats of loss of shelter also loomed large.

Loss of wages and allowances in this and other instances has compromised access to basic necessities — food, toiletries, healthcare, and shelter generating multiple forms of insecurity and undermining physical and mental health. Tension, harassment, absence of creative, purposeful, productive activity, and isolation have adversely impacted self-esteem and emotional health and well-being.

Employment aspirations of STAND BY ME survivors and others are often impeded by qualification deficits, especially in the case of women religious who have joined the congregation very young or underserved women, loss of social standing because of sexual violence, actual or perceived impairment to physical and mental health, reluctance of employers to provide jobs due to potential threats and social boycott by powerful and vengeful perpetrators, and finally at times by witness protection programs that closet survivors and restrict mobility, conceal survivor and witness identification and mobility, to protect them.

Data shows that each incidence of sexual violence causes an Indian woman to lose an average of at least five paid workdays — an economic loss to women, families, and the economy.

Further, the very risk of sexual violence can adversely affect women's employment. Girls may be denied education and/or job-related training. This negatively impacts future employment opportunities, trapping women in a vicious cycle of poverty. Women may also reduce work hours or exit the workforce if they feel that the work environment or commuting alone to work, especially after dark, is unsafe.

Challenged with no resources to survive, survivor members of STAND BY ME have taken matters into their own hands — quite literally. They have taken up needle and thread to own and claim their financial security, one stitch at a time.

Through their thorny journey, they believe that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Thus inspired, they have embarked on an economic initiative for economic independence, to fight their fight on their own terms.

As trained seamstresses and embroiderers, they sew and embroider a range of products, including children's garments, kurtis, nightdresses, patient gowns, bags, curtains, cushion covers, sari bags, table runners, and table mats. They are well prepared to innovate and customize products to suit personal preferences.

One hundred percent of all proceeds go directly to support their daily expenses, including food, clothing, health, and shelter. They ask, "Will you stand by us?"

As our sisters weave the snapped threads of their lives stitch by stitch into fine products, let us be reminded that they have tuned into their brokenness to discover and decisively act on their need to acquire educational qualifications, to build on their flair for tailoring and embroidery with further enhancement — upgrading fabric, pursuing contemporary and customized styles and product designs, utilizing modern production inputs and technology, and pursuing strategic market outlets — all of which one might not always think about when one is overwhelmed by the trauma of sexual violence.

But it goes beyond economic sustenance. It is also a means of converting negative into positive energy; it is about the need to create, contribute, restore a sense of purpose, and reclaim self-esteem — because the need to create and contribute fast follows the need for love and belonging.

It is also about restoring mental and emotional balance, social and human connectivity, self-re-validation and empathetic community reinforcement ofthis through economic activities. It is about purging the negativity and perceived desecration wrought by sexual violence. It is an integral part of healing.

But this STAND BY ME economic initiative also needs committed collective support from the larger community. More concretely, we can:

• Support the self-run economic initiatives of STAND By ME survivors and other survivors of violence by:

(a) promoting and buying their products coupled with consciousness-raising on their challenges and eliminating violence

(b) providing sector-specific pro-bono business mentoring on business models, business plan development, financial management, product design, production technology, marketing strategies and outlets

(c) Employing women survivors of violence with work conditions tailored to their key priorities

We can also:

• Share their stories widely and promote zero tolerance for violence in the family, community, workplace and state
• Advocate for woman-and-survivor-centric legal reforms with robust, accountable monitoring and enforcement
• Design and run woman-and-survivor-centric trauma counseling and/or spiritual reflection

With such support, we can proudly say I am light, strength, and resolution. I am enough — even if violated.

*Dr. Jean D'Cunha is a gender expert with a continuing body of work on women's labor migration and the links between gender, climate change, conflict and migration. She worked with UN Women in senior management and technical positions worldwide and retired as Senior Global Advisor on International Migration and Decent Work.The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.