Activism and the History of the Domestic Violence Movement
By Gill Hague
This article is a brief outline of a session at the 2021 FiLia Conference entitled Activism: Then and now. The article is in summary form, directly relaying the points made at the Conference, rather than a comprehensive piece. It draws on a new book on the history of activism on domestic violence in the UK and internationally: History and Memories of the Domestic Violence Movement: We’ve come further than you think. The book is a celebration of our activism and what we have achieved over the last 50 years, even though, of course, there have been many failures and dangerous setbacks.
It is worth celebrating this unique history while many of the older activists from the early days are still with us. And it is important to celebrate those activists themselves, who have often given all their lives since the 1970s to this fantastic cause. It is easy to forget -- but we need our history to inform our future.
Despite the tragedies and the continuation of horrific violence experienced by women worldwide, we have made enormous strides forward since the 1960s when in all countries of the world the existence of such violence was scarcely acknowledged. Now there are activists in every country of the world, even where it is hardest.
In this and many other countries, these successes have come about, over the years, directly because of women’s movements of activism. These women’s movements against violence against women developed out of the dazzling achievements of the women’s liberation movement (WLM) of the 1970s, which itself grew out of a ferment of social movements in the late 1960s, from the national liberation movements in colonised countries on. Those women’s liberation days, though often conflicted, were great ones for participants. Things changed by the day and, for many of us, they were our brightest days.
The magnificent slogan of the WLM was, of course, ‘the personal is political’. It is always worth re-emphasising both this and the activist practices to which it gave rise, including consciousness-raising, the organising technique in which women met together in groups to share personal experiences and, from them, to develop both new understandings and new actions. The aims were to make social change, and to build towards transformation for women and towards liberation as in the famous quote:
“The great mobilisation of women began with a vision, supported by action. The vision was of a world transformed. ”
(Dobash, R. E. and Dobash, R. (1992) Women, Violence and Social Change)
The early movement challenging violence against women set up refuges/shelters and services, together with campaigns around domestic violence and rape for more or less the first time in history. Refuges and rape crisis centres had rarely been heard of before and, all of a sudden, brave women were setting them up, across the country, starting from nothing.
Refuge/shelter organisations always tried to do things differently, and still do. For example, in the UK and some other places, they mainly operated as collectives for the first twenty or thirty years. This was a brave and challenging way to work, especially while dealing with something as traumatic as domestic abuse. The women concerned worked out innovative ways of working together, including trying to break down power differences between the women providing the services and those using them, courageous and pioneering moves forward to flatten hierarchies and share power. We can perhaps return to them as we move forward.
Later, challenges were made that the needs of Black and minoritised women were not being met adequately. As a result, the independent Black women’s movement developed services and social action, sometimes working within the wider movement, and sometimes separately. As time passed, these movements also took on ‘honour’-based violence, forced marriage, FGM and other harmful practices, and developed transnational approaches to challenging violence led by women’s groups in Global South countries.
In general, women’s activism needs to lead to social and political change, and to directly assist the struggle of women. It needs collective action and works best when it is embedded in a wider social movement to provide support and passion (which of course is less the case, these days). It needs a measure of idealism to be able to keep going -- but it also needs to develop effective tools for change. Thus, activists need a desire to collaborate with others. They need long-term patient commitment to the project, and the ability to accept small gains as part of bigger change.
Now, many of the older women activists have passed on the baton to younger activists – a moving forward and a moving on. The pioneers are stepping back. The struggle to end violence against women will continue way into the future and of course constantly faces setbacks and attacks. But, despite the hardships and dangers, we need to recognise the power, heady optimism and courage of our work. Working against violence against women is like weaving a cloth of resistance and social change, with the threads of the contributions of each person or group perhaps glowing out like a golden thread. In our long and bitter struggle against male violence, perhaps we can support and nurture each other into the future. Good luck and courage to us all as we build on all we have already done over so many years. Good luck to us all as we move forward in our ceaseless attempts to make the world safer for women, girls and children.
Gill Hague: Activist since the early 1970s and Professor Emerita of Violence Against Women Studies
History and Memories of the Domestic Violence Movement: We've Come Further Than You Think by Gill Hague is available at 20% discount when you order from Policy Press.