Pivotal actions in Minnesota and St. Paul

Nantes, France has implemented a comprehensive city-wide strategy to combat gender inequality through multiple coordinated initiatives. The centerpiece is Citad'elles, a, 24/7 shelter that centralizes 18 nonprofit organizations offering legal, psychological, and medical services for women experiencing violence, eliminating the need to travel to multiple locations across the city. Since opening in 2019, Citad'elles has served over 5,500 women, averaging three new users daily and 450 follow-up appointments monthly.

This Ability is a non-profit in Kenya specializing in supporting those facing gender-based violence, particularly with disabilities, with myriad resources. The organization developed a network of on-call women called "Mama Siri" who field emergency and informative calls on a toll-free number. Since 2020, their hotlines have received more than 4,500 calls.

Lethality assessments have proven effective at avoiding domestic violence homicides and such a tool might have saved a Vermont woman who was murdered. The 11 questions help victims understand the danger they are in and also help law enforcement connect them with services. But officers in many counties in Vermont are either not using the tool or not doing it systematically even though an advocacy organization has pushed for its implementation and even when police chiefs embrace its use.

In St. Paul, one of Minnesota’s collective approaches to solutions in action — dubbed The Blueprint for Safety — is a foundation of laws that adapt to the proliferation of domestic violence in the state and successful efforts of marrying the advocate community with the criminal justice system.

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) provides comprehensive survivor support services including legal aid, medical care, shelters, and prevention programs, successfully building public trust and securing 140+ convictions while reaching 6.3 million people through awareness campaigns, though significant gaps remain between the 8,692 reported cases and actual access to justice and support services.

One Safe Place — also known collectively as a Family Justice Center — is a holistic care center for violence survivors that aims to be a one-stop shop for support services like legal aid, medical care, social workers, mental health support, groceries, child care and job training. One Safe Place opened in July 2022. The 44,000-square-foot facility is one of the largest Family Justice Centers in the world and has served more than 3,000 people, the majority of whom are domestic violence survivors and their children.

Domestic Violence Intervention Services supports domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. Services include counseling, legal advocacy, and group meetings among others. A texting service allows people to subtly connect to advocates, which was crucial during COVID-19 lockdowns and certified interpreters are available. Services are tailored to special populations, like immigrants and refugees, LGBTQ survivors, individuals who are incarcerated, and rural populations. An intensive year-long intervention program works with convicted offenders to develop coping mechanisms and tools to change behaviors.

A free mobile app, Safe House, gives victims of domestic abuse a simple and quick way to call for help and find needed resources in four states. Putting local crisis helplines, shelters, and other local resources in one place saves time when an abuse victim is racing to get to safety. The app, downloaded more than 3,000 times since its launch less than two years ago, currently covers resources in Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Its developer plans to expand to more states.

The Minsk-based organization Radislava runs a house for women and children who have experienced domestic abuse. In a culture and a country that have yet to protect survivors of abuse, this house runs on privacy and anonymity, for safety’s sake. Radislava does more than provide shelter – it also provides psychological and legal support and organizes advocacy events. Since its creation, the home has seen 70% of clients create new lives for themselves.

The murder of a woman in Wisconsin highlights a lethality assessment tool for law enforcement to use that’s designed to help domestic victims and authorities understand how much danger victims might be in and help police connect them with services. It’s proven effective at helping those facing domestic violence take steps to reduce the chances they might be murdered by their partners. But getting it implemented, especially in rural areas where there may not be many resources for victims, has proven challenging with less than half of Wisconsin’s counties using it.