October 22, 2020: As many of you know, PWN has hosted a Day of Action to End Violence Against Women Living with HIV on October 23 since 2014. Because our staff and members are all working hard on the November 3 election, the Day of Action will be scaled down significantly this year.
This does not mean that ending violence against women living with HIV is any less of a priority for us than it has ever been–but we understand that without the right policies in place, it will never happen, and that’s why we are channeling our energy into the elections this year.
To honor the Day of Action, we ask everyone who is able to volunteer in our digital get-out-the-vote activities (phone banking and/or text banking)! You can sign up here: (pwn-usa.org/volunteer).
All are welcome (not just women living with HIV), so consider asking some of your friends, family, colleagues, and others in your network who care about women living with HIV to join you in volunteering.
We will also dedicate our PWNCares Sister Circle Virtual Support Group this evening, Thursday, October 22, at 8pm ET/5pm PT, to the theme of ending violence against women living with HIV. All cis and trans women living with HIV are welcome to join the support group, whether you’ve attended before or not. Registration is required, so if you’ve never registered for the support group, you can do that here (bit.ly/pwn-support).
We know that, as part of the PWN family, you understand that violence comes in many shapes and forms, and that even intimate partner violence does not happen in a vacuum. Women and people of trans experience living with HIV need and deserve public policies that allow us to live independently without worrying about basic needs such as housing or food; access the health care (including mental health care) and services we need to survive and thrive without facing discrimination or bankruptcy; and to be able to address or flee abuse without facing criminalization, harassment, or other forms of violence from law enforcement.
The covid19 pandemic has only increased the vulnerability of women living with HIV to intimate partner violence as public health concerns, economic hardship, and the threat of white supremacist violence have become more pronounced. Even as we throw our full energy into getting out the vote in this election, we understand that individuals in dire circumstances have immediate needs; we invite you to check out and share the Intimate Partner Violence, HIV, and Covid19 resource page we compiled earlier this year with the support of our partners at National Network to End Domestic Violence.
Thank you for your commitment to ending violence against women living with HIV. We hope to see you on a volunteer shift soon!
