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PROJECT SALVAGE TOOLKIT
PLANNING TO IDENTIFY, PREVENT AND CHALLENGE GENDERED VIOLENCE IN ACTIVISM.
Why a toolkit?
We wanted our research to practically address what we have learned about gendered violence in radical
communities, whilst knowing this project was the tip of a complex iceberg. Toolkits: 1. Are broad enough to
provoke conversations and 2. Can be worked through together. Our research showed that identifying,
preventing and challenging violence, as well as supporting survivors, is difficult and collective work – and so
a toolkit felt just right.
What is this toolkit supposed to do?
There are no ‘one size fits all’ answers to gendered violence. This is designed to support the difficult and
messy task of working through how such harm can be identified, prevented and challenged, and how
survivors can be supported, in your activist context. The toolkit cannot answer ‘what should we do’, but
rather ‘what questions should we be asking ourselves?’
How and when do we use this toolkit?
You will work through some general exercises designed to provoke useful thought, conversation and action
about how to respond to gendered violence within your community. You might use it proactively: when
thinking about how your group can respond to harm, how you might prevent harm from happening or how
to make your group accessible to survivors. You can also use it reactively: to think through how to tackle a
particular situation, how you can support a survivor, or how you could challenge a person, group, or culture
that is harming people in your community.
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
FACILITATORS’ GUIDE
Why have facilitators?
The questions this toolkit asks can provoke discussions about personal and collective politics and people’s
experiences that can be upsetting and difficult for any group.
A lot of these differences can be valuable in making decisions about how to identify, prevent and challenge
gendered violence. It is a good idea to appoint someone trusted to write down and capture the value of these
disagreements, as well as a facilitator to keep the group on track and someone sensitive to the needs,
emotions and voice of everyone in the discussion to make sure everyone is looked after and heard.
to think: TIMING
As you make decisions about how to approach gendered violence in your community – you can try thinking
about whether your commitments are:
Short Term Mid-Term Long Term
Can be done this week / month. Over the next few months. Over years.
e.g: Devise an immediate safety plan e.g. Hold a monthly harm discussion e.g. Rewrite group constitution
Towards the end of the toolkit, check to see how many short, mid and long term commitments you have made –
do you cover one time period more heavily than others?
to think: SPACES
As you make decisions about how to approach gendered violence in your community – try to be aware of the different
relationships and spaces that your community includes. You might be:
Running a space Flatmates /living together. How do these relationships affect:
• what you can and can’t offer
• your responsibility and
Friends Co-organisers • your capacity to act in a situation?
(And many combinations of these – and more!)
EXTRA TIPS:
• Aim to complete the toolkit within a day or two to keep everything you learn fresh in your memory. You can always
redo parts of it again later on.
• Colour-coding notes with post-its or pens can help separate themes/issues.
• Don’t forget that your scribe and facilitator should also be able to contribute their thoughts to the discussion!
PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT 3
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Initial Questions:
• What questions are you trying to answer with this toolkit?
• E.g.: How are we going to deal with experiences of harassment at our social
centre?
Jotting these down to focus discussion can be helpful. You may also want to note down:
YOU AND YOUR WORK
How do you make decisions?
When do you see each other?
What responsibility / scope do you have What resources do you have?
to address the initial question?
What is your group good at?
For how long has your group existed? What other groups / people are you
connected with?
Who amongst you will do this work, when How do you tend to hold each other
and how? accountable?
These basic questions about your space, organisation, group or community can help you keep
discussions focused, and your commitments and goals realistic.
EXISTING TOOLS
Activists have devised various tools designed to identify, challenge and prevent gendered harm and
support survivors. Some of these are listed below.
SAFER SPACES POLICIES ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESSES
CONSENT WORKSHOPS
CALLING PEOPLE OUT /IN
CONTENT NOTES
This toolkit doesn’t directly advise on these tools but it can help you to think through how these
tools are working/could be useful for you, why they might be useful and how you can use them.
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 1: ACCESSIBILITY AND DISCLOSING HARM
THE ISSUE
Many survivors do not feel able to disclose that something harmful has happened to them within
an activist space, or even things they experienced before joining activism. Fears of not being
believed, of not getting access to safety and justice, and of being ostracised are compounded within
activism by fears of being used to score political points, or being seen as a ‘messy’ person / situation
that has tarnished the supposed community of an activist space.
THE QUESTION
Is your space/group accessible to survivors?
They thought they were doing this great thing you know, and if I give
feedback being like ‘err yeah this abusive thing happened’, then like
what am I doing? Like they are doing it in the name of liberation - Beth
to do: EXERCISE
Going through the questions below, apply them to different elements of your group’s work. From your discussion,
think about relevant actions you could take to improve across your work. An example is provided in blue.
Remember to think about long, mid or short term actions – and any other relevant questions you can think of, too!
ACTIONS? EVENTS? MEETINGS? LIVING SPACES?
- Q: Do you think about how survivors might feel welcomed and/or excluded or blocked by your group –
either those who have experienced violence in the past, or are experiencing it now?
- Q: Are their structures in place for people to express uncomfortable experiences within the group?
- Q: Do you make room in conversations for the negative side of things to be discussed?
- Q: How is negative feedback dealt with? What discussion or action follows?
E.G. for MEETINGS: We will make time in all meetings to talk about negative aspects of what happens at
our social centre. B and A are great listeners who have free time for the next few weeks, and will identify
themselves at meetings so people can speak alone if they would rather. J will support B and A, checking
in if the work is too stressful. We will meet to talk about how this strategy is working in 6 weeks, and will
provide an email address to everyone that joins meetings to give feedback in the future.
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 2: DIFFERENT FORMS OF HARM
THE ISSUE
When we think of gendered violence, there is a tendency to focus on forms of attack. Even though
many people know that abuse can be economic, social, emotional, mental, subtle, collective (such
as bullying) and cumulative, putting this recognition into action can be a challenge.
THE QUESTION
How can you take the recognition that violence is not just physical forward to identify and challenge gendered
violence in your group and wider community?
to do: EXERCISE
Work through the wheel of different forms of harm below, and jot down how these forms of harm are currently
identified (or not identified!) and responded to within your group. For each form of harm, produce at least one
decision. An example is given in blue to help you – and remember, try to think long, mid and short term.
It’s the little things that… allow for
Example reflection: the awful abuses, the gradual
- Some members have used erosions of self-worth. - Anna
feminist language to justify
crossing others’ boundaries. SOCIAL SUBTLE
Example reflection:
- We do create pressure to be
WEAPONISED SEXUAL ‘perfect activists’ but we don’t
ACTIVISM talk about this openly. This has
Example reflection: Q? led to members being shamed
- Some cases have for mistakes before, and could
happened where someone ECONOMIC COLLECTIVE facilitate abuse.
controls and crosses
boundaries in our living Example decisions:
space / occupation SPATIAL PHYSICAL - We dedicate time to talk
about this issue twice a month
- We will hold sessions on
group relationships.
- We will commit to no gossip
about these sessions.
KEY QUESTIONS:
• Do we dedicate time to talking about how power and relationships work in our group?
• Are there taboos within the culture of our group that are avoided or not addressed?
• Are there any spaces / people / time/ skills dedicated to conflict resolution, working through ‘subtle’
behaviours that cause harm?
• Is there a tendency to be silent about things that seem uncomfortable but aren’t blatant abuse?
• Is there a circle of friends / contacts outside the group where these things are talked or gossiped
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 3: CULTURE AGAINST VIOLENCE
THE ISSUE
The informal, everyday and interpersonal ways that people look after each other can make the
world of difference when it comes to identifying, preventing and challenging gendered violence
within your community, as well as helping to provide concrete support for survivors. Not having
everyday support can compound isolation – and can prolong experiences of harm.
THE QUESTION
How can you actively nurture a culture that identifies and challenges violence, and supports survivors?
I just don’t think we’re ready for [accountability processes] because people are
doing it and it’s going badly wrong. I think that’s because all the other bits that need
to be around it aren’t there and we need to do those things first. - Erin
to do: EXERCISE
Try brainstorming the skills, time and resources you have available and think about how they could be threaded together
to support a survivor or to identify, challenge or prevent harm within your group on a day to day basis. An example is
given in blue. Remember to think short, mid and long term.
Listening – I am a good listener, if someone had Organisation –I can keep on top of emails,
concerns about a person or relationship, I could dates and communications for everyone
call them one night a week, at least until the in this group about this situation until I go
summer. on holiday.
Cooking – I can cook dinner for X when she’s
feeling low, either at her house or drop food
round on Wednesdays.
There are loads of other skills that could be useful – are you good at childcare? At challenging people who have hurt
others? At researching support services? At writing letters? Are you creative, funny, musical, can you cheer people up?
SKILL TIME AREA FOR GROUP CHANGES
Cooking Tues eves til July At X’s house, call first Let H & J know House too stressful – deliver in cafe
Listening Ring every 4 days N/A Let J know I rang Feeling better- call weekly instead
Challenging Meet weekly Neutral – café Write e-mail to all Too difficult – need a break from it
PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT 7
WORKSHEET 4: FORMAL SUPPORT
THE ISSUE
Alongside a culture of support that feels human and personal, structures like safer spaces policies,
complaints procedures and accountability processes can be used to identify and challenge gendered
violence within your group. These tools cannot do the work of sorting through gendered violence
for you and it’s important to check whether any formal tools you create or use are really useful.
THE QUESTION
How can you put formal structures in place that provide real, concrete support to those experiencing harm
and that support a culture of care, accountability and support into your group?
to do: EXERCISE
Take a formal piece of support that your group uses, or is thinking of using, to challenge harm: a constitution, safer spaces
policy, complaints procedure or accountability process, for example, and work through the challenges below. From your
discussions, you might come up with some initial short, mid or long term commitments to try.
They didn’t
actually have [a In place Useful If someone had said ‘ok I think
complaints he needs to be told to leave,
procedure] so they how do you feel about that?’
rather than just ‘what do you
had to make one E.G: safe
up. - Micah want to do?’ - Erin
spaces
Active policy
There’s still this whole Flexible The policy is reviewed yearly
anarchist ‘oh no let anyway, which I think works
people sort out their Conflict ready because […]it resulted in
own things [idea]’ people sort of looking at [it]
despite this so-called and thinking “does this hold
safe spaces policy. - I heard his point of view [in a small conflict] up in every circumstance?” -
Leah through the facilitator and he’d heard mine Anna
[…]. It was kind of like a 10-minute meeting
between us cause we were all going ‘okay
let’s move on’, so that worked. - Collette
KEY QUESTIONS
In place: What can formal structures do? What are their limitations?
Useful: Is the structure practiced in a way that works? Is it doing what it was designed to do? Has it taken on a life of its own?
Active: Does everyone agree on what it means? How does it really work in practice? How does it relate to your wider culture?
Flexible: Is there room for change in the structure? How is it designed to deal with different circumstances? How is it improved?
Conflict ready: What contingencies exist for conflicts that arise? Do you have the capacity, skills and time to deal with these?
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 5: IDENTITY
THE ISSUE
Gender, class, race, a/sexuality, ability, religion and background affect how gendered violence
happens, the forms it takes, the threat it poses and how it is dealt with by a community. Responses
to gendered violence, like all activism, need to take into account how someone’s identity informs
both their experience of harm, and of attempts to challenge it.
THE QUESTION
How can you act on gendered violence in a way that is relevant and responsive to different identities?
to do: EXERCISE
Try filling out the wheel below to get thinking about how different identities (in the left triangle) – and combinations of
these – might affect the issues relevant to gendered violence (in the right triangle). These are just some of the issues that
came up during our research, so do fill in other issues and identities that might be relevant to you. Some examples are
given in blue to help.
Example: We could be more likely to dismiss the fact
or severity of gendered violence in queer
relationships.
AGE BEING DIS/BELIEVED
DIS/ABILITY PERCEIVED CAPACITY TO COPE
RACE ACCESS TO SAFETY
GENDER ACCESS TO HEALTH/LEGAL SUPPORT
A/SEXUALITY SOCIAL INFLUENCE
IMMIGRATION STATUS PERCEIVED VICTIMHOOD
CLASS
Example: Racist stereotypes could impact how much sympathy
people of colour experiencing violence receive from others.
If I was being abused by a man would you take it seriously? Or if I was cis would you take
it seriously? Or if I was straight would you take it seriously? - Anna
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 6: COMMUNITY
THE ISSUE
Chances are, your community will go way beyond the people in this room. Each of us have people
we know in different contexts. Gendered violence can also take place across different spaces – at a
party, at work, in a housing co-op, within a friendship group, or at an action. Thinking about this
wider network, and the different skills, relationships and resources that exist in that network can
help you plan to identify, prevent and challenge gendered violence.
THE QUESTION
How can your wider community help to challenge gendered violence?
to do: EXERCISE
What does your community look like? Try mapping out some of the key spaces and groups you are connected to. For each
space or set of people, jot down what you know about their:
- Relevant skills - Trust in you / your trust in them
- Capacity / time - Contact details
You can then make some initial (short, long and mid-term) commitments or plans for how these different relationships can
help your effort to challenge gendered violence (or even where to avoid!). An example is given in blue to help you.
online community family work
friendly social centre counselling service social circle
people on actions sports club
housemates
Example: K is friends with L, who has caused
harm to someone in our community. We know Example: P lives with H who is experiencing
and trust K, so we’ll ask them to help us talk with gendered violence in her current relationship. P is a
L while we’re dealing with the harm L has great listener, so we’ll ask it they can help check in on
caused. how H is doing day to day.
Example: There is a group of people we sometimes see on actions who we think can help
people access counselling. We’ll try and contact them to build stronger links for survivors in
our community – we’ll also invite them to our fundraiser so we can hang out socially and let
off steam.
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 7: CONFIDENTIALITY AND TRANSPARENCY
THE ISSUE
Keeping details about gendered violence confidential can be essential to protect those involved,
prevent further harm from happening and to ward against gossip, bullying or rumours that can hurt
and isolate people. Yet being transparent about your principles, actions and work is also important.
People may want to be warned about gendered violence, and they may be suspicious about secret
meetings, bannings or conversations.
THE QUESTION
How do you make the right choices about confidentiality and transparency?
Because we treat things as confidential we don’t say anything, but that just means that
they [person who has caused harm] get to paint the picture of what’s happened. - Hayley
to do: EXERCISE
Along each axis below is a tension. Have a look at the quotes from our research, as well as the example decisions that could
take place along each axis. Think about how these tensions relate to your context and jot down how the decisions and
commitments you’ve made so far in this toolkit impact, or are impacted by, issues of confidentiality and transparency.
Every time someone disclosed
I’m having to like constantly justify and to me it was always […] ‘please
explain and educate people about what’s don’t tell anyone’. - Lydia
going on. - Collette
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 8: MEANING ‘SURVIVOR LED’
THE ISSUE
Activists working to challenge gendered harm will often aim to have a ‘survivor-led’ approach.
Though intended to centre survivors’ needs and experiences, in practice it sometimes means
survivors are expected to know all their needs, to have similar needs to each other, or to not
change their needs over time - it can leave the responsibility of inventing perfect plans of action
down to survivors who may already feel vulnerable and under pressure.
THE QUESTION
How can action on gendered violence be survivor-led in a way that is supportive, rather than a burden?
I was expecting it to be like “right this [violence] has happened and this is why you feel like this”
and I was presented with quite a lot of bureaucracy. Which is quite a strange response, when you’re
feeling so emotional about a thing. - Anna
to do: EXERCISE
Below are some examples in blue of how actions to challenge gendered violence can be tweaked to give survivors power
and control over a situation without burdening them. Pick a few decisions and commitments you have made so far with this
toolkit and put them through this process. How could a course of action be made more survivor-centred? How could it be
managed in a way that doesn’t place all responsibility on survivors? Remember to think short, mid and long term.
Example: We don’t want to be Example: We have a safer Example: We have to check that
prescriptive or controlling, so spaces policy designed by everything we’re doing to
we’ll ask survivors what they survivors, with guidance on challenge someone who has
need and want. actions to take in almost any caused harm is OK with the
circumstance. survivor/s.
Issue: Open ended questions Issue: Diff. survivors and Issue: Continual calls and
can be daunting. circumstances need diff. messages about gendered
things, bureaucracy is violence can be draining,
Tweak: Use semi-structured alienating. upsetting and burdensome.
questions like ‘we’re
thinking of having a meeting Tweak: Give info about our Tweak: Keep briefings to once
about X, what do you think? existing strategies while weekly through a call, check if
Would you be up for it?’ asking for others’ thoughts. it’s OK each time.
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
WORKSHEET 9: SHIFTING CIRCUMSTANCES
THE ISSUE
The complexities and shifting circumstances of our lives mean that decisions, policies and courses of
action designed to challenge gendered violence have to adapt to change. It’s important to recognise
this and prepare for it from the start. Thinking about how you might deal with this can help build a
more nuanced, flexible and resilient set of resources for coping with gendered violence.
THE QUESTION
How are you doing to deal with changes, criticisms and pressures on the steps you want to take?
to do: EXERCISE
It can be hard to think about how to prepare for change without knowing specifics– what was said, what has happened,
who was involved, how did it happen – that make all the difference. To help you, we’ve drawn on some common ‘wild
cards’ that happen during activists’ attempts to challenge gendered violence. Have a look through our wild cards and then
either add your own, or pick one from below that is relevant to your situation. Jot down how you would respond – how will
this wild card affect the decisions and commitments you have made so far?
WILD CARD: CRITICISM
A group of people loosely associated with your network - friends, acquaintances and others in the wider community
send a collective email criticising what you’re doing. They think your efforts are not transparent, and that there are
some racist elements of your work on gendered violence.
WILD CARD: DEMANDING INFORMATION
A survivor you are working to support (who has previously asked for total confidentiality) contacts you and explains
that they keep being pressured to disclose what happened and to justify why the person who caused them harm has
been asked to leave events. They are fed up of this and want you to act.
WILD CARD: NEW EVENTS
Someone e-mails you to say that a survivor you have been supporting has sexually assaulted them at a recent party
and they think you have a responsibility to act on this.
WILD CARD: SUPPORTING SUPPORTERS
The partner of a man who has caused harm in your community has been working to support him, have difficult
conversations with and challenge him. She contacts you to explain that doing all this work, whilst losing friends and
being blamed for associating with an ‘abuser’ is really taking its toll on her. She wants your support to stop this.
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PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT
ACTION PLANNING AND REFLECTION
If you had a particular issue you were using this toolkit to discuss, bring that alongside your notes to
reflect on what you’ve discussed, and to plan some concrete actions you can take.
Using the suggested layout below, think through how the decisions, thoughts and commitments
you’ve come up with so far could work together and be put into action. Think about:
How is a decision impacted by issues on the other worksheets?
What kind of practical parameters could turn this into a realistic, doable course of action?
ACTIONS AND THOUGHTS
FORMAL SUPPORT TRANSPARENCY / CONFIDENTIALITY
IDENTITY
SHIFTING CIRCUMSTANCES
CULTURE AGAINST VIOLENCE
COMMUNITY
DIFFERENT FORMS OF HARM
ACCESSIBILITY AND DISCLOSING
MEANING ‘SURVIVOR-LED’ HARM
For each decision, thought or commitment:
I would like to see
- When will you do this? conversations emerge [...]
- How are you going to do it? and for the conversations to
be messy, not to be about a
- Where will it happen?
set of rules or a set of
- Who will do it?
guidelines but about creating
- What resources do you need?
the possibility to talk. - Beth
- How long will this go on for?
- What will you do if there are changes to make?
- If this can’t happen – what will you do instead?
PROJECT SALVAGE: PLANNING SUPPORT, PREVENTION AND ACTION ON GENDERED VIOLENCE TOOLKIT 14
HAVE SOME OTHER IDEAS?
We know that our research, and this toolkit, are not perfect. From the work we have done, we
already see the potential for a few more research projects emerging, and we are always interested
in your thoughts about how we could do better. If you have read through or tried out the toolkit
and have some thoughts about things we have done well, things we are missing, or how we could
do better, feel free to get in touch.
Our website and contact details are on the bottom of each page in the toolkit.
