What is Gender-Based Violence (GBV)?
Gender-based violence is a general term used to capture any type of violence that is rooted in exploiting unequal power relationships between genders. GBV is violence or other harmful acts directed toward an individual based on their sex or gender identity. It can impact anyone and can include intimate partner and family violence, elder abuse, street harassment, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking. It is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power, and harmful norms (UNHCR; NYC.gov; Women for Women).
Many GBV interventions are reactive and carceral, which means that we intervene after IPV, sexual assault or other types of harm after it has happened and the consequences focus on the criminal justice system. Interventions rarely focus on being proactive and that is what PMF focuses on through our program and services. We focus on taking initiative before an incident happens, if possible.
GBV is not only a matter of social justice and human rights, but is also a public health issue.
Domestic Violence
Anti-Human Trafficking
Prevention Meets Fashion (PMF) is dedicated to combating the issue of human trafficking in the Philadelphia area and surrounding counties especially in our targeted populations (Black women and girls, LGBTQ+ people and sex workers). We do this by educating and advocating about the issue using our F.A.C.E model to guide us.
What is Human Trafficking?
Human Trafficking also known as trafficking in persons, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological. Exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking, regardless of whether any form of force, fraud, or coercion was used.
Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age (22 USC § 7102).
Labor trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, (22 USC § 7102).
Sexual assault advocacy may involve you talking to someone about the process or assisting someone with making a police report or taking someone to get a forensic exam after an assault. In Philadelphia, PA, we have the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Resource Center (PSARC). PMF collaborates with PSARC to ensure our community members have access to needed services and information after an assault.
Denim Day Event
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, otherwise known as SAAM. During this month, people across the United States raised awareness about sexual violence, how to prevent it, and how to support those who are affected by it. Every year, PMF creates an artistic event with the goals of strengthening individual and collective knowledge and skills around sexual violence. We educate the community, especially youth about sexual assault, sexual assault policies and laws, and the various ways they can prevent, recognize, intervene, end stigma and rape culture in their community.
PMF offers stand alone education but we also have a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention Project that is a youth-centered, trauma-informed project that engages youth, especially Black and LGBTQ+ youth in GBV prevention efforts, education and healing work.
The project works to raise public awareness about youth GBV and the need for accountability and healing.
Thank you to our collaboraters Lutheran Settlement House S.T.A.R Program, Young Artist Program (YAP) and One Day At A Time (ODAAT) youth after school programs.