My volunteer experience at the women's center

Experience of the intern Hammou Mériam, Belgian social and intercultural psychologist, at the Women's House:

Observations on the operation of the Women's Center:

The goal of Casa de la Mujer is to guarantee a life free from violence for all victims of gender-based violence (women, children, and the LGBTQI+ community), as well as to support and assist them in their reporting processes and ensure they receive social, psychological, and legal follow-up. Therefore, the organization is comprised of a multidisciplinary team, including two lawyers, two psychologists, a social worker, an administrator, an accountant, two communications specialists, and the director, Miriam Suárez, who has a background in communications.

The management of the Women's Center is carried out through the organized participation of all its members. Victims are first received by a social worker who assesses their situation. Their role is to develop a profile of the victim, understand the reasons for their arrival, and gather social, economic, and cultural information that can help to understand the problems the victim faces. The social worker will then schedule an appointment with one of the psychologists. Given that most victims of violence have experienced a traumatic event, the psychologist's role is to provide a reassuring environment and listen attentively to their accounts. The first session generally focuses on preparing for the reporting process and encouraging the victim to report the violence. If the victim agrees to file a complaint against their abuser, this psychological session is followed directly by an appointment with one of the lawyers. The lawyer's role will be to gather testimony and all the necessary evidence to initiate legal proceedings.

In addition, the Women's House has a shelter run by staff member Marvin, who is responsible for the shelter, the kitchen, and the upkeep of the premises. This shelter consists of a dormitory with approximately 10 beds, a bathroom, and a shared kitchen, ensuring that women and children who are victims of domestic violence or at risk of violence in their homes can stay there for a period of time before a long-term solution is found.

The Women's Center addresses a wide range of issues related to gender-based violence. Indeed, gender-based violence is not limited to the more common form of domestic violence, but also includes the trafficking of children and women (sexual, economic, organ trafficking, etc.), violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity, gender-based crimes (physical violence up to and including murder), prostitution, abortion, and all other forms of violence listed in Bolivian Law 348. This law includes 16 types of gender-based violence. Therefore, the Women's Center organizes its activities around three main projects, each led by a member of the organization, in order to divide the workload efficiently. This allows each project to be addressed separately and in a specialized manner to meet the specific needs of all the problems encountered related to any type of violence. The projects are organized as follows:

The fight for gender equality for women and LGBTQI+ communities focuses on providing psychological support to victims of gender-based violence, assisting them in their reporting processes, and raising family awareness against gender discrimination. This component is the responsibility of Fabiola Rojas, a social psychologist and also my training supervisor.

- Combating the trafficking of children and women, which primarily refers to issues of prostitution and commercial trafficking, in which children and women are victims. This project is led by Verónica Soliz, a community psychologist and psychoanalyst.

- The fight for reproductive and sexual rights focuses on issues such as abortion, spousal murder, rape, all types of gender-based crimes, and reproductive rights violations. This project is directed by Ana Paula García, a lawyer.

Thus, in addition to their professional duties as psychologists or lawyers, each project director is also responsible for coordinating awareness-raising, communication, victim support, and events (conferences, meetings, debates, marches, etc.) related to their project. Awareness-raising, communication, and prevention activities are also centralized through the radio station "Alternativa," which belongs to the Women's Center. The organization has a radio studio that broadcasts in the Santa Cruz region of Bolivia. Each project manager can speak individually, with other members of the Women's Center, or with guests (other organizations, victims, volunteers, etc.). The rest of the time, Radio Alternativa is managed by the only male member of the Women's Center, Osvaldo Hurtado, a communications professional, who broadcasts feminist-themed music, awareness slogans, anti-sexism announcements, and more.

Through my description of my internship, I can also attest to the difficulty of managing a large number of issues in an organization that isn't very large and doesn't have many official members. Most of the women at the Women's Center work more than 40 hours a week; the women's demands are numerous. The organization lacks the resources to hire new members and relies, in part, on volunteers to carry out its work.

Psychological activity:

I conducted therapeutic interviews with the victims, accompanied by Fabiola or Verónica. These were individual interviews focused on the process of breaking free from the cycle of violence. In many cases, the violence suffered is repeated over time. The women who come to Casa de la Mujer have experienced prolonged violence, and their decision to seek help is often linked to a particularly violent event that allowed them to escape the cycle of violence for a time and gather the strength to seek help. This achievement is not enough to break free from a vicious cycle that lasted several months, or years for some. Therefore, therapeutic work is necessary to enable the women to rebuild their lives and break free from the control of their abusers. This is the typical pattern of what most of these women experience:

Furthermore, at Verónica Soliz's request, I had the opportunity to develop a guide for conducting therapy sessions and to compile materials for use in psychotherapy sessions with women who are victims of violence. During my research, group therapy emerged as the most effective therapy for gender-based violence. However, Verónica Soliz's request focused on a guide for individual therapy.

I asked Verónica why the Women's Center doesn't offer group therapy. Her answer concerned the budget and the difficulty of establishing group therapy when primary care activities, such as the reporting process, accompanying victims during the reporting process, and ensuring their safety, already occupy a large part of the schedule. If group therapy were introduced, then prevention activities, which also play an important role at the Women's Center, would have to be abandoned. This situation could easily be resolved with more staff and, consequently, a better budget.

However, the Women's Center organizes training courses for Community Promoters, women who are victims of gender-based violence. This symbolic title in Latin America refers to the ability to help other women in situations of violence by learning the legal and social processes that allow them to file a complaint. Fabiola, in collaboration with volunteers, has launched a training course accessible to all women who wish to participate, with the goal of becoming a Community Promoter and thus being able to guide and help other women experiencing violence. I also had the opportunity to participate in the training sessions with them, and even to conduct part of the training myself afterward. These training sessions are held in groups and are organized according to the regions where the women victims of violence live. As a result, the group is stable, and learning takes place through group activities. Part of the activities are also dedicated to the prevention of and raising awareness about gender-based violence. Therefore, women have the opportunity to share their own stories with the group or in public, if conditions allow.

Therefore, these training courses for community promoters have a twofold positive effect. On the one hand, they can have the beneficial effects found in group therapy through the mutual exchange of experiences of living together. On the other hand, they also allow for the strengthening of self-esteem and empowerment through positive action to combat violence and the learning of tools to help other women. Gray and Wegner (2009), in their theory of Moral Typing, defined the identities of negative patients and positive agents; the former are recipients of harm, victims, and the latter are donors of good. Likewise, through the training of community promoters, women have the opportunity to redefine themselves. They move from being victims, recipients of violence, and passive bystanders, to being positive agents, helping other women break free from the cycle of violence through their own learning. The status of victim brings with it a sense of loss of control, power, and vulnerability. However, through their redefinition as positive agents, they can avoid the negativity associated with the victim identity and revalue themselves, regaining autonomy and power.

However, while training for Community Promoters can have the beneficial effects of group therapy, it is a service offered only to women who request it, and most of these women have successfully escaped the cycle of violence. Therefore, it would be truly valuable to make group therapy available to all women who come to the Women's Center for issues related to gender-based violence.

Therefore, it is necessary to secure more significant funding that will allow the staff of the Women's Center to implement new activities essential for the development of women who are victims of violence. Furthermore, it is crucial to give this organization the opportunity to hire additional women to meet the significant and ongoing demands placed on the Women's Center.

Personal experience:

My experience at Casa de la Mujer has allowed me to work with women who dedicate their lives to fighting gender violence. Through the work of the entire team, I've seen that they are not only fulfilling their professional duties, but also carrying out a lifetime's work, work that truly matters to them.

Beyond its profound impact on the women who benefit from its work, the results of this effort are truly tangible in the lives of the women who come to the Women's Center. I had the opportunity to speak with the women of La Guardia during their training as Community Promoters. These women expressed a desire to establish a Women's Center in their village. In my opinion, this demonstrates that the Women's Center has not only enabled them to improve their circumstances and escape the violence they have endured, but above all, has instilled in them the desire to do the same work with other women who are victims of gender-based violence.

I believe I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in this association and with a team through which I could see a sincere desire to help women and people who are victims of gender violence, but also a desire to change the political, social and economic conditions of all people at risk of experiencing gender violence in Bolivia.

The diversity of actions undertaken by this association reflects the breadth of the Women's House's ambitions. It's a place where the work is well-organized, encompassing victim support, prevention, awareness-raising, and the organization of activities for its target audience. It's an association that manages to be comprehensive in its work, despite all the financial difficulties. Above all, it's a place where I've learned a great deal. I recommend that anyone who wants to gain experience in the fight for gender equality come and volunteer at the Women's House for a while. However, it's important to bear in mind that it's a job that requires commitment and dedication, given the amount of work involved in running the association.