“The Opportunity to Speak Out”: WebinHERS Sparked Dialogue on GBV Across the U.S. and Russia During COVID-19
By Kathryn Weenig
Throughout 2020, our WebinHERS project used technology to connect 236 U.S. American and Russian young women and professionals who work with them in dialogue on gender-based violence (GBV). We did this through six interactive webinars, which we created based on human-centered design research conducted with hard-to-reach young women and grassroots organizations across both countries.
A webinar attendee representing an organization from the U.S. shared,
“It made me happy to know that there are organizations in both the U.S. and Russia working hard to support women who have struggled with [GBV], and now I know I have somewhere to go if I ever need support as well.”
According to the World Health Organization, at least 19–66% of women ages 15–24 worldwide have experienced physical and sexual violence. This year, UN Women considers GBV the shadow pandemic of COVID-19.
Out of the young women who participated in WebinHERS human-centered design research and responded to evaluation surveys, 88% reported increased understanding of the causes of GBV and ways to address them. A participant in Russia shared,
“The most important thing is the opportunity to speak out, tell about your experience and feelings in connection with it. And the opportunity to hear others, to express your empathy and support them. And also the possibility of generating new ideas and ways to combat gender inequality, violence, and sexism.”
Throughout both countries, participants reported interest in learning the following about GBV:
After young women and grassroots organizations had convened through co-creation of and dialogue during webinars, a young women in Russia shared,
“I thought that my participation and experience would be useful in shaping the topics of the webinars, as well as would become my small contribution to the women’s movement of solidarity and support… I should say that it was during the period of a strict quarantine in Russia and I, like many others, had practically not gone out for a long time, all the work was carried out online…and we increasingly felt the tension and difficulties that emerged when people found themselves squeezed into the confines of the places where they live, and for some […] women in Russia, that was not the safest environment. It so happened that the focus group became a cozy and welcoming place, and even the fact that we discussed difficulties and problems did not diminish the warmth that remained in my heart after it ended…
Participation in the webinar was an incredible experience of meeting wonderful women with different experiences, from different cities and countries, as well as organizations. It was as if I received a powerful charge of empowerment, so that I was about to cry just from the realization of how lucky I was to be at the event…The focus was on very different problems: young girls suffering from domestic violence, […] the lack of opportunities for growth and career development, and a safe environment for life. And how inspiring it was that everyone shared their stories, were not ashamed of their emotions, tears and smiles, laughter and jokes. Such meetings create hope that even if the result is not immediately visible, the importance of all our actions should not be underestimated.”
WebinHERS was funded by a Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program Award from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, implemented by Eurasia Foundation.
