Every survivor is unique and that solution needs to be unique and without judgement, the President of the Â鶹APP General Assembly, Csaba K?r?si, was told during a discussion with local leaders and community-based organizations assisting survivors of domestic and gender-based violence at the Manhattan Family Justice Center.
¡°These issues are complicated. There are families, children involved. People will reach out for help multiple times, they might want to understand their options, connect with family, because these are life-changing decisions,¡± said Commissioner Cecile Noel, from the Mayor¡¯s Office to End Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV).? ?
She noted that it takes an average seven attempts to leave a domestic violence relationship.
¡°Put what you owe in a plastic bag and leave. That¡¯s basically what we¡¯re asking them to do.¡±
The Manhattan Family Justice Center, one of five in New York City, connects survivors and their children with organizations that provide case management, economic empowerment, counseling, civil legal, and criminal legal assistance.?
In practical terms, survivors can get help filing a police report, applying for housing, even help writing a resume or English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
During the visit, which comes ahead of the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the President of the General Assembly spoke with representatives of four community-based organizations: Arab American Support Center, Safe Horizon, Sanctuary for Families, and the Urban Resource Institute.
He said the visit was meant to get a first-hand look on how services are provided, and how the General Assembly could support those efforts.
¡°We are here to find out the good news from your work that can be brought to the UN and through the UN, to the entire world,¡± said Mr. K?r?si, who was accompanied by his wife Edit ²Ñ¨®°ù²¹.
The representatives reiterated the importance of not passing judgment on survivors and allowing them to choose the best option for them and their families.?
¡°There is no one size fits all solution,¡± said Michael Polenberg, from Safe Horizon.?
Lauren Schuster from the Urban Resource Institute, which helps to provide shelter for survivors, highlighted the importance of including survivors in the solutions: ¡°We cannot deicide for them what their journey looks like.¡±?
The discussion also touched on the importance of building trust and educating individuals about domestic and gender-based violence, particularly when language or culture might be a challenge.
Prevention was also raised during the discussion, including the need for emotional learning among children, and helping youth think differently about their behaviors and those they might be seeing in the home.?
Earlier that day, Mayor Adams Commissioner Noel signed two bills in support of ending GBV in the city, one of them focused on low-barrier grant and supportive services that would help survivors with expenses related to maintaining housing.?
The need for access to funding was also discussed in the meeting.?
New York City has 54 shelters specifically for survivors of domestic or gender-based violence, that cater to some 4,000 families.?
These numbers are separate from the city¡¯s homeless population, which surpassed 60,200 in September.?
¡°Many of the survivors are employed. They cannot continue to do that living off a mother¡¯s couch or out of hosing. And often with children in tow,¡± said Commissioner Noel.
Mr. K?r?si invited participants to share their experiences with Member States, and said he would like to invite a group of survivors and their children to the Â鶹APP.?
The visit also included Edward Mermelstein, New York City¡¯s Commissioner for International Affairs.?
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