Survey participants have made it possible for us to honor the healing journey of survivors and their loved ones. We are forever grateful to all the survey participants for trusting us.
We believe you, we love you, and we appreciate you.
Who took the survey?
The age of the survey participants ranged from 14 to 49 years. A majority of respondents were between the ages of 30 and 39 years.
While respondents were diverse in age, there were discrepancies. There is no data from participants aged 50-69.
In-person survey collection for future projects can ensure we reach an older age range.
Survey participants identified with 10 different faith backgrounds with a majority identifying with Islam followed by participants identifying with Hinduism.
Gender-Based Violence in faith spaces, and/or by faith leaders is not uncommon. Collecting data from participants of different faiths was vital in understanding the prevalence of faith-based abuse, as well as the different complexities this poses for survivors and their loved ones.
20 South Asian languages were reported to be spoken among survey participants.
Culturally and linguistically relevant resources and materials for survivors and their loved ones are limited. We have translated our guidebook into 10 languages, prioritizing the languages with the most speakers. Due to limited funding, we were not able to print in all of the languages reported. With availability of funding will allow us to translate the guidebook into the remaining languages reported in our survey.
What did survey participants say?
“Not enough people say "I believe you" and "you did nothing wrong" not as much as they need to anyway. I think as a survivor I am constantly reassuring myself that I am not lying and that I did not do anything to cause the abuse to happen. However, outside validation needs to be consistent and continuous. It needs to keep happening, it needs to be regularly. Even if it's been years since the abuse happened, the validation needs to be regular for healing to be continued”
Anonymous Survey Participant
“Many low-income immigrant women cannot leave their circumstances or find it very difficult to do so because they do not have a college education and/or skills to be able to enter the workforce. In-laws living with or depending on a couple can also further subjugate a woman. Differently, teen dating violence is very prevalent, and due to stigma in the community about dating at all, the violence then becomes very challenging to bring to light/legitimize and for there to be justice or healing.”
Anonymous Survey Participant
“Letting the survivor know that they did not do anything wrong no matter what the circumstances were. That no matter what, it was not their fault and that the terrible actions of another person have no reflection on the survivor. Acting differently, wearing something else, or doing something else would not have stopped an abuser from abusing. We should all collectively stop the stigma of blaming the survivor and victim in these scenarios as that is what I have found to be the most detrimental.”
Anonymous Survey Participant