Latest news with #WomenHelpingWomen
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Sexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after Lahaina wildfire, report finds
Sexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire in 2023, with pre-existing gender inequalities exposed and exacerbated by the post-disaster response, new research has found. In the weeks and months after the deadliest American fire in a century, one in six female fire survivors surveyed felt forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for basic necessities such as food, clothing and housing. Immigrant women and other limited English speakers felt particularly isolated and unsafe in emergency shelters, with some sleeping with their children in vehicles – or engaging in 'survival sex' for a safer place to stay, according to the new report by Tagnawa, a Filipino feminist disaster response organization in Hawaii, shared exclusively with the Guardian. Filipinos constitute the largest immigrant community in Hawaii, accounting for around 40% of the Lahaina population before the fire – the majority women. Researchers conducted in-depth surveys with 70 Filipino women survivors. At least 102 people died and more than 2,000 homes were destroyed on 8 August 2023 after 50 miles per hour winds supercharged a fire that ripped through the historic town of Lahaina in West Maui, leaving thousands without shelter and access to adequate health and other basic services. The housing crisis was made worse by the political decision to reopen west Maui to tourists just two months after the devastating fire – despite widespread opposition from traumatized survivors and community advocates. Reopening the tourism industry compounded a sense of powerlessness among survivors, and may have exacerbated male rage and fueled forms of domestic violence such as coercive control, the research found. Amid the ruins that saw extended families separated and stuck in hotels for months, some displaced fire survivors reported feeling increasingly trapped in violent relationships with no safe place to go. Others remained silent due to financial dependence on the abusive partner or relative – which at times was exacerbated by the way disaster aid was organized around a male head of the household. Related: First came the Maui wildfires. Now come the land grabs: 'Who owns the land is key to Lahaina's future' In the first two months after the fire, calls to a 24/7 crisis hotline run by Women Helping Women (WHW), Maui's main domestic violence service, more than doubled. Reports of sexual assault and substance misuse also surged. 'Some men are trying to control anything they can control because so much is out of their control, especially with the current rebuilding of Lahaina. Anything they can control their money, kids, partner that's heightened. Tourism added another layer of things out of our control,' Jordan Ruidas, a community organiser from Lahaina Strong, told researchers. More than 18 months after the fire, anecdotal reports from key experts suggest intimate and intra-familial violence among survivors remains high. Equality in Flames is a first-of-its-kind research exploring how the 8 August 2023 devastating fire compounded existing gender – and racial – inequalities in West Maui. The report is based on state and county health and crime data, the in-depth surveys Filipino women survivors, and accounts from local experts in mental and reproductive health, gender-based violence, criminal justice and community organizing. Overall, the findings suggest that the Lahaina fire – and the response to it – increased the number of people at risk of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation by exacerbating known risk factors including domestic violence, substance abuse disorders, financial precarity and unstable living situations. The report adds to a small but growing body of feminist research exploring the unequal impact of climate and environmental disasters in the US – especially on Indigenous, immigrant and working-class women and children. The post-disaster response in Lahaina was largely coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) and the American Red Cross. According to the report, Fema and the Red Cross failed to adequately adapt their practices to local conditions or approach fire survivors through a culturally sensitive lens, in part because they rolled out a 'one-size-fits all' recovery package without adequately consulting local experts. Fema and the Red Cross did not provide adequate opportunities for victims to report sexual and domestic violence, and may have unintentionally exacerbated gender-based violence especially among displaced people of color, immigrants and non-English proficient survivors, the report found. 'The fact that in the richest country in the world women had to resort to any means necessary to meet basic human needs and survive a fire, is absolutely a critique of the entire American system – and the problem with having that system forced onto Hawaii,' said co-author Khara Jabola-Carolus, a Filipino community organizer and the former executive director of the State of Hawaii's commission for women. 'Fires spark the harmful side of masculinity that other environmental disasters just don't do, yet gender remains the elephant in the room,' added Jabola-Carolus. Environmental disasters – wildfires, earthquakes, floods, drought and hurricanes – always affect men and women unequally. In general, women die at higher rates during water-related disasters like floods – mostly because globally girls are less likely to be taught to swim, whereas men are more likely to die in fires. In Lahaina, some female survivors said that male partners and relatives chose to act 'macho' and stayed behind to protect the home, contributing to the disproportionate male fatalities. Incidents of domestic violence (felony abuse with injury of a family member) increased in both 2023 and 2024, according to Maui police department data. Requests for temporary restraining orders also rose after the fire, judiciary personnel reported. Yet in some cases, calls to the police by domestic violence victims actually increased their vulnerability, as unscrupulous landlords sought to evict the entire family to avert unwanted attention on their housing unit. As of 20 April 2025 only 10 homes in Lahaina have been rebuilt, and the majority of survivors remain displaced in temporary accommodation or else have left the island. In one grim but positive outcome, several cases of child sexual abuse were uncovered as a result of the fire disrupting normal routines – some of which may have gone hidden otherwise, according to judiciary personnel. Yet overall, official figures show reports of sexual and domestic violence to health professionals and law enforcement fell in the aftermath of the fire. This could be down to what's known as post-disaster silence, according to experts, with victims fearful of speaking out due to their financial dependency on perpetrators, the diversion of law enforcement into disaster efforts and the failure to provide safe, culturally appropriate ways for victims to report gender based violence in shelters and other aid hubs. Related: Poverty in Lahaina has doubled after 2023 wildfire: 'We're cutting down on what we eat' The lack of safe spaces was particularly marked for immigrant women in Lahaina. One in five female Filipino survivors said they have felt unsafe in places where they sought shelter since the fires, while 56% have experienced an increase in conflict at home. A staggering 16% engaged in 'survival sex' – kissing, hugging, touching and intercourse with a landlord, an employer, family members, friends and acquaintances. The most common reasons included obtaining enough food (86%), clothes (71%), long-term housing (48%) and temporary shelter (43%). The high concentration of Filipino women in Lahaina can be traced back to the sugar plantation oligarchies that for decades controlled labor migration – as well as access to land and water. The report calls for the urgent nuts-and-bolt reform of emergency management in the US, putting gender at the heart of future disaster planning and response that is in line with international best practice. Amid worsening wildfires and other climate-related disasters, its recommendations could serve as a blueprint especially in places with large immigrant populations, according to Jabola-Carolus. 'Everyone knows that violence against women and children should be considered a primary concern during wildfires and other disasters, not a secondary issue to be addressed after the provision of basic needs. There are plenty of inexpensive fixes, and far less wealthy countries all over the world that really put the Unites States to shame.' In a statement, the department of homeland security assistant secretary blamed Joe Biden, claiming without any evidence that the former president used Fema as a 'piggy bank, spending hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to housing illegal aliens'. Hawaii governor's office declined to comment. Red Cross did not respond.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Champaign City Manager Joan Walls inspires at 59th Lincoln-Douglass-King Banquet
'Our ancestors are watching us, and they're cheering us on,' Joan Walls said addressing dinner guests Saturday at the 59th annual Lincoln-Douglass-King Banquet. 'But they never gave up. They never got tired. And we can't either.' Each year, Danville's Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church hosts the banquet to commemorate the legacies of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in their efforts to help extend and defend civil rights for Black Americans. The banquet also serves as an opportunity to honor and recognize Black residents who have contributed positively to the community. This year, Terry Gouard II and Tami Brazill received awards — Gouard for establishing the first barbering program at Danville Area Community College (DACC), and Brazill for her ministry Women Helping Women. 'I live by the motto 'A plus or nothing.' It's my mission statement,' Gouard said, thanking family and friends for their support and speaking about the hurdles he's overcome. 'I've always been a humble person, but recently ... there's this song that's been going in my head. It basically goes, 'I deserve it all.' And I deserve it all. I worked for it, and I'm here today,' Gouard said to a round of applause. When Brazill received her Community Service Award, she thanked God and her community. 'There's so many women out here that come along ... and they don't know which direction or how to go and figure out how to find the housing, food, whatever it is they need. This is just an open door to help them,' Brazill said about her ministry, which pairs with The Dwelling Place to help women find the resources they need. When it came time for featured speaker Joan Walls to address the audience, she encouraged them to keep working toward their goals. 'Now is not the time to give up, when some folks are trying to erase Black history or make us believe that the words diversity, equity, and inclusion don't belong in our vocational areas, or let alone have a place,' Walls said. Walls, a Danville native, became the first Black woman to be appointed to serve as the City of Champaign's City Manager in December 2024. She spoke about her own journey through hardships. 'My first step began in September of 1999, when I was at the Danville post office mailing two envelopes, one for a job at the University of Illinois' school of social work and one for the crime prevention manager, public information officer at the Champaign Police Department,' Walls said. At her interview for the crime prevention manager position, Walls said she wasn't sure she would get the job, but chose to speak with confidence anyway, thanks to her faith. 'I looked them in their eyes and I laid out my crime prevention management philosophy and implementation for the City of Champaign, and I did it neighborhood by neighborhood,' Walls said. In that position, Walls said, she 'made an impact not only within the department but also in the community breaking down barriers of mistrust while staying true to my authentic self.' Walls was later appointed as the deputy city manager for community relations and later, the deputy city manager, Chief Operating Officer for Champaign — a role Walls said she worked hard to excel in by joining the Illinois City County Managers Association. Despite feeling out of place and unwelcome at meetings of the ICCMA, Walls persevered. 'If I could be really honest? I wanted to quit ... I didn't have the energy to be a member of an organization where I wasn't even seen,' Walls said. 'I decided to get involved like I was supposed to be there and there was no stopping me.' In closing, Walls challenged the audience. 'You are needed now, more than ever before,' she said, listing several issues impacting local communities, including poverty, housing affordability, food insecurity, environmental concerns, infrastructure issues and disparities and more. 'You must get involved. You must use your voice, your talents, and your skills to make a difference,' she said. 'Let each one of us be a drum major for justice, a drum major for love. And when we do this, when we let our light shine brightly, we will not only transform our own lives but we will illuminate the path towards a more just and loving world for all. Don't stop now. You keep the faith.' During the event, Banquet Chair Aleta Randle honored the legacy of previous chair and local activist Eva Suzanne Barnett-Adkins, who passed away in 2022. 'Susie was a bright light that illuminated the room. She had a heart as big as Texas, a million-dollar smile, and infectious laugh,' Randle said of Barnett-Adkins. 'If there was a problem or a crisis, Suzanne would always respond with 'Don't worry, just pray.' She was the glue that held us all together.' Vice Mayor Tricia Teague also addressed the audience, encouraging them to get involved and attend city council meetings. 'Come publicly voice your opinions on decisions that have been made, and especially decisions that are about to be voted for, and to hold all of us and your elected representatives accountable,' Teague said. 'I can't speak for everybody else, but I appreciate accountability.' Teague also spoke about the honor of being 'a Black woman, born and raised in this city, invited to speak at this event that honors Lincoln, Douglass, and King — three men who, knowing full well the threats they would face, still chose to stand boldly in their conditions and put their lives on the line for freedom, justice, and equality.' Later, Teague quoted Frederick Douglass from a portion of his July 5, 1852 speech, 'What to a slave is the fourth of July?' in Rochester, New York. 'At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation's ear, I would, today, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke,' Teague said, quoting Douglass. 'For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. 'The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.'
