The Gender-Based Violence Task Force of the Interagency Gender Working Group Presents

 

A Fireside Chat on Gender-based Violence with

Mary Ellsberg and Lori Heise

  Thursday, March 1, 2018

An audio recording of the event can be accessed here. 

In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Gender-Based Violence Task Force of the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG) hosted A Fireside Chat on Gender-based Violence with Mary Ellsberg and Lori Heise on March 1, 2018. Dr. Ellsberg, Director of the Global Women’s Institute and Professor of Global Health and International Studies at the George Washington University, and Dr. Heise, Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, are renowned experts who each have more than 25 years of experience working on gender-based violence (GBV). Through a moderated discussion, they shared their reflections on notable turning points for the field; how their own careers have evolved in response to the needs and priorities of the field; and persistent challenges. They offered their thoughts on priorities for the future, including the need to champion the evidence that it is possible to reduce levels of violence against women and to ensure that evidence of “what works” to prevent violence gets applied in practice. The event was also an opportunity for Dr. Ellsberg to introduce soon-to-be-released data from 20 years of activism to end violence against women in Nicaragua and for Dr. Heise to announce a new violence prevention initiative called the Prevention Collaborative. The event drew over 55 on-site participants, and another 38 joined remotely from 13 different countries. Participants praised the informal and intimate nature of the event and the opportunity to “learn about the arc of GBV work over the last 20+ years through their eyes.”