Resilient again: COVID‐19, feminist anti‐violence work, and the question of sustainability

Abstract

AbstractGender‐based violence has increased during the COVID‐19 pandemic. As a result, feminist anti‐violence organizations have experienced greater demands for services and complexity of need. Sharing results from a qualitative study with two sexual assault centers, this paper discusses how organizations experienced the pandemic and adapted their work in response. It engages with critical discussions of resilience, arguing for a movement away from a focus on resiliency, which overlooks larger structural issues and the need for sustainability. Further, it calls for greater recognition of the important and varied roles feminist anti‐violence organizations undertake in their communities.