Report on a Panel Forum Addressing Intimate Partner Violence and its Intersection with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

A panel forum was convened to address the multifaceted issue of intimate partner violence (IPV), featuring local experts who provided insights into its causes, consequences, and the community’s role in its prevention. The discussion highlighted critical links between IPV and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the areas of gender equality, justice, health, and economic stability.

The panel included:

• Jo Bair, Executive Director, enCourage Advocacy Center
• Amber Harper, Network Service Coordinator, Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence
• Raúl Arcos Hawkins, Executive Director, Multicultural Coalition

SDG 5: Gender Equality – Addressing the Root Causes of Violence

The forum identified intimate partner violence as a significant barrier to achieving gender equality. The core of the discussion centered on defining and understanding the dynamics of abuse as a fundamental violation of human rights.

• Definition of Abuse: Abuse was defined as any action that instills fear or intimidation in a partner, thereby preventing them from exercising their autonomy.
• Enabling Factors: The panel outlined several societal factors that perpetuate abuse, directly undermining SDG 5 targets:
  1. A pro-abuse mindset that normalizes or justifies violence.
  2. Societal tendencies to blame victims rather than hold perpetrators accountable.
  3. Pervasive gender inequality.
  4. Weak community sanctions against perpetrators.
• Abuse as a Choice: It was emphasized that abuse is a deliberate choice, reinforced by the belief that it is an effective means of control, a belief that is antithetical to the principles of equality and respect.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – The Role of Community and Law Enforcement

Achieving peaceful and just societies requires effective institutions that protect all individuals. The panel stressed the importance of a coordinated community response to IPV.

• Institutional Response: Law enforcement officers are often the first point of contact for survivors. Their initial response is critical in shaping a survivor’s path toward safety.
• A Unified Message: An ideal community response, in line with SDG 16, involves all sectors, including law enforcement, delivering a consistent message to survivors: “We believe you, and help is available.”
• Counteracting Abuser Tactics: This community-wide message of belief and support directly counteracts the abuser’s narrative that no one will believe or help the victim, thereby strengthening pathways to justice and safety.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The Vulnerability of Immigrant Survivors

The discussion highlighted how IPV disproportionately affects marginalized populations, underscoring the need to address inequalities as outlined in SDG 10.

• Exploitation of Status: An abuser may use a victim’s immigration status as a tool of control, threatening deportation to prevent them from seeking help.
• Barriers to Justice: The current political climate has reportedly created a “chilling effect,” eroding the trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
• Fear of Institutions: Many immigrant families, even those eligible for assistance, fear that seeking help from police, courts, or government agencies will trigger contact with immigration authorities, creating a significant barrier to accessing safety and justice.

Interconnected Socio-Economic Challenges for Survivors (SDGs 1, 3, 4, 8)

The panel detailed the complex socio-economic barriers that survivors face, illustrating how IPV intersects with goals related to poverty, health, education, and economic security.

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The experience of generational abuse and the constant state of fear and intimidation have severe consequences for the physical and mental health of survivors and their children.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) & SDG 1 (No Poverty): Survivors face significant economic instability. One panelist shared a personal experience of being unable to sustain employment due to ongoing violence. The process of leaving often involves immense financial stressors, including:
  1. Finding new employment.
  2. Breaking a lease and securing new housing.
  3. Managing utilities and other financial obligations.
• SDG 4 (Quality Education): The trauma and logistical challenges of living with abuse create significant obstacles for survivors attempting to pursue or complete their education, as exemplified by a panelist’s struggle to finish an associate’s degree.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article directly addresses this goal by focusing on “intimate partner abuse,” a form of gender-based violence. Panelist Jo Bair explicitly identifies “gender inequality” as one of the key areas that enable such abuse, linking the issue directly to the core principles of SDG 5.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • This goal is relevant as the article discusses violence and the role of the justice system. It mentions the importance of law enforcement’s initial contact with victims, the use of “protection order[s],” and the function of the “courts or the government.” It also highlights institutional weaknesses, such as the “chilling effect” the political climate has on immigrants’ trust in law enforcement, which undermines access to justice for all.
3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The article highlights how inequalities based on origin and migration status exacerbate vulnerability to abuse. It notes that for immigrants, their “immigration status can be used by an abuser to control the victim’s actions” and that fear of “immigration raids and deportation” prevents them from seeking help, demonstrating a clear inequality in safety and access to services.
4. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article connects to this goal by defining abuse as “anything that causes fear or intimidation in a partner.” This definition emphasizes the psychological and mental health impacts of domestic violence, which are central to the well-being aspect of SDG 3.
5. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The personal testimony of panelist Amber Harper illustrates the economic consequences of abuse. She states, “I’d actually left my job due to the violence that was occurring. I couldn’t sustain employment at that time.” This shows a direct link between intimate partner violence and a victim’s ability to maintain decent work and economic stability.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres.
   • The entire article is dedicated to the issue of “intimate partner abuse,” which is a primary form of violence occurring in the private sphere, directly aligning with the objective of this target.
2. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
   • The panel’s discussion on the causes of intimate partner violence and the community’s role in providing a “unified message to survivors that we believe you and help is available” is aimed at preventing and ultimately reducing this specific form of violence.
3. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
   • The article mentions victims obtaining a “protection order” as a legal remedy. It also highlights a failure in providing equal access to justice when it describes how immigrants “fear seeking those services, especially those that are involving police, the courts or the government.”
4. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… origin… or other status.
   • The article’s focus on how an abuser can use a victim’s “immigration status” to control them points directly to the social exclusion and disempowerment of a specific group, which this target aims to eliminate.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner.
   • The article’s central theme of “intimate partner violence” and its definition, which includes actions that cause “fear or intimidation” (psychological violence), directly relates to the phenomenon measured by this indicator.
2. Indicator 16.1.3: Proportion of population subjected to physical, psychological or sexual violence in the previous 12 months.
   • Similar to the above, the discussion of intimate partner abuse serves as a specific example of the violence this indicator tracks within the general population.
3. Indicator 16.3.3: Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism.
   • The article provides examples for measuring this. A positive measure is a victim who “obtained a protection order.” A negative measure is implied in the statement that “many fear seeking those services, especially those that are involving police, the courts or the government,” suggesting a low proportion of access for the immigrant community.
4. Implied Indicators:
   • Rate of reporting abuse to authorities: The article implies this is a key metric when it discusses the “chilling effect on reports” from immigrant communities due to fear of deportation. An increase in reporting could indicate greater trust in institutions.
   • Victim employment rates: The testimony of a survivor who “couldn’t sustain employment” suggests that the ability of survivors to find and maintain employment could be an indicator of successful intervention and support.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: norfolkdailynews.com