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Preface

By Tamalie Kiwi Tamasese

I have really appreciated that the work of women of many cultures to address issues of violence has been documented here in this book. Having access to the stories of these women’s work will encourage those of us who are trying to take our own actions to address violence against women in our communities.

This book challenges us when it asks questions such as:

• Has the professionalisation of our work closed off the possibilities for grass roots community action to address violence against women?
• And if so, how can we turn this around? How can our work support local community initiatives?

I particularly appreciate the care with which the writers have included their own questions, hopes and uncertainties. Whether they are describing community development projects or therapeutic practices, the writers have included their dilemmas. This is a generous act and a helpful one. It means that this volume is not a manual on the how-tos of working in this area, but instead an engaging collection of stories of the actions women are taking in their own ways and in their own contexts.

As readers, we are invited to join in considerations of dilemmas and possibilities. We are also invited to witness good work that is taking place to respond to and prevent violence. This is significant in itself. The devastation caused by violence can be overwhelming but this collection not only draws attention to violence and its effects, it also draws attention to hope and change.

This is a wide-ranging book. It considers ways of responding to those who have suffered as a result of abuse, and also ways of responding to those who have enacted violence. And throughout it there is a dedication to care and thoughtfulness in relation to matters of culture.

White women workers describe their determination to question themselves around their own power and privilege as women. They describe evocatively the blind spots that people in any position of domination have about their own powers and privilege. This is refreshing to read. And women of diverse cultures speak loudly about ways of working that respect their cultures. Throughout this book, it is clear that practitioners are looking to the liberative elements of cultures from which to draw solutions to end violence. Women describe how within any culture there are liberative traditions of gender relations that can be drawn upon. The solutions to violence can be found from within our respective cultures.

Discussions about rape and other forms of violence to women can be very complex, especially within multicultural forums. The question is how can these discussions occur in ways that do not further diminish marginalised cultures? Continuing reflective questioning from women of dominant cultures about their own practices of privilege is necessary. And at the same time, how can the leadership within marginalised cultures be supported, be resourced, so that they are able to facilitate discussions within their cultures about stopping violence within and between communities? How can the initiatives that women of marginalised cultures are already taking be noticed, acknowledged and supported? Spaces for women of different cultures to come together to discuss these issues need to be opened. I think this book will help to open them.  

Finally, as well as offering ideas to put to use in our work lives, this book invites us to take a much closer look at what we can do in our own neighbourhoods, in our local villages, and in our extended families, to help bring an end to violence. If we turn our attention to local community initiatives at non-violence and peace-making, and if we begin to document these, perhaps this book will be the start of a flood of inspiring stories of action. Perhaps in years to come, there will be the opportunity for a follow up collection, which contains the stories of actions that readers have taken in their own communities. For that is what this collection inspires and challenges. It encourages us, the reader, to notice and support those who are already taking action to address violence. And it encourages us to take action ourselves.

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