The US Party

Riddhi Mukhopadhyay

My professional experience

I am the Legal Director of Sexual Violence Legal Services, providing trauma-focused advocacy and assistance to victims of sexual violence, attorney and advocate assisting them in a wide variety of legal matters. I have over 15 years of experience working with victims of gender-based violence. I have previously represented individuals with mental health and developmental disabilities and victims of commercial sexual exploitation. I was a Berkeley Law Foundation Legal Fellow and staff attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP). I specialize in working with clients with challenges in accessing justice based on criminal history, mental illness, developmental disabilities, limited English proficiency, and immigration status. I received my Juris Doctorate from Seattle University School of Law and my Bachelor of Arts from Duke University. I am a Special Exchange Participant of the project “Knowledge Can Stop Gender-Based Violence: Seeking New Solution”.

My anti-violence message

I believe in working toward a future free of violence. Every day, victims of gender-based violence are targeted for their vulnerability, differences and perceived weakness. Abuse and violence against victims weakens us as a community. Providing trauma-informed support and greater advocacy empowers victims to become survivors, breaking the cycle of violence and ensuring a healthy future.

What is trauma-informed approach to assisting victims of violence?

Milena Chausheva

My professional experience

I am a Community Advocate in DAWN / Domestic Abuse Woman Network, Kent WA and I provide individual advocacy. That means I meet one-on-one with a woman for safety planning, housing or shelter assistance and legal questions. I help with other systems (like Child Protective services, Department of Social and Health Services etc.) and make referrals to other agencies which may provide additional assistance. In addition to individual advocacy, we offer our support groups. That is a great way for a woman to be able to share her experience in a safe, non-judgmental place and to see that she is not alone.

I am a Special Exchange Participant of the project “Knowledge Can Stop Gender-Based Violence: Seeking New Solutions”

My anti-violence message

Everyone deserves a healthy, safe and respectful relationship. It is my hope as a community advocate that providing quality, compassionate, empowering services may ensure survivors that healing is possible and support is abundant and the assault is not their fault and no one deserves shame or blame. With this awareness I hope we can create a world free of violence.

Practical tools to assist victims of violence

The Russian Party

Anastasia Babicheva

My professional experience

I am a volunteer since 2008 and a head of a volunteer organization since 2010 in Samara, Russia. An author of numerous projects and methods of assisting mentees of social and medical institutions, coordinator of assistance to the needed families. An author and coordinator of every-season Volunteer School since 2016. An interpreter. An awardee of “Blagorodstvo” (“Nobleness”) Regional Public Initiative (2011), a winner of “Citizen Initiative” National Award (2014). An alumnus of Social Expertise Exchange Program, Eurasia Foundation (2016). Coordinator of the project “Knowledge Can Stop Gender-Based Violence: Seeking New Solutions”

My anti-violence message

After almost 10 years of providing support to socially vulnerable groups as a volunteer and as a head of a volunteer organization, I realized that aggressiveness and violence is, unfortunately, one of the key problems for them. But cope with it, one needs special resources nor instruments. This is why addressing the problem of aggression and violence in the contemporary society became my main focus. Based on my professional experience I believe that everyone has a chance to contribute to finding a solution to this problem, especially the professionals working in the sphere of gender-based violence. This is why I propose to start with increasing awareness and knowledge on how to stop and more importantly prevent violence.

Learn more: what is violence, what is gender-based violence, and why violence is dangerous

Tatyana Push (Kislyakova)

My professional experience

I am a social journalist, a volunteer of Post-Orphanage Maintenance Centre which provides assistance to orphanage graduates, and also a coordinator of an educating project “Start in Profession. Unemployed Youth Support in Samara” which provides a chance for a better living for the needed youth. I am a Social consultant of the project “Knowledge Can Stop Gender-Based Violence: Seeking New Solutions”

My anti-violence message

I believe that instances of violence do not exist in a vacuum, and can affect many people. So if there’s less violence in the world, we all win.

What are social consultations?

Svetlana Sanfirova

My professional experience

I am a lawyer, a head of a public organization which provides assistance to needed women, and a volunteer. I am a Special Exchange Participant of the project “Knowledge Can Stop Gender-Based Violence: Seeking New Solutions”.

My anti-violence message

In recent years I have been working with women in crisis. Based on my professional experience, addressing  psychological violence at the early stages could help to prevent  the escalation of physical violence. Unfortunately, often a person does not possess the knowledge and self-awareness to recognize the certain signs of violence. That’s why I find it important to provide people with information which will help them recognize predisposition to violence (in themselves as well as others) and avoid becoming a target of violence.

Svetlana Sanfirova on Survivors Support in Russia

Tatiana Loshchinina

My professional experience

I am a licensed psychologist and existential analysis specialist. I help people to cope with various difficult situations, to overcome lack of self-confidence or loss of meaning, to regain value and joy of life, to find inner resources for self-realization and happiness. I use methods of art-therapy and psychological projective cards. I hold meetings at the Women’s Club where we discuss various topics that are interesting to  the participants, help each other to get a better understanding of ourselves and others and to have harmonious relatioships with people around. I am a Special Exchange Participant of the project “Knowledge Can Stop Gender-Based Violence: Seeking New Solutions”.

My anti-violence message

Having a wide experience of working with clients, I understand the importance of preventing gender-based violence. Every person’s life and freedom is my personal value. I’m sure that everyone is born to feel happy.

Tatiana Loshchinina on cultural aspect of gender-based violence