Muslim women in the Central Florida area are meeting this weekend to design resources for survivors of intimate partner violence in their community.
The Muslim Women’s Organization in Orlando’s two-day summit will not only educate women about how to spot signs of domestic abuse.
But it will bring together women from the faith community, along with local nonprofits and other community partners to brainstorm what resources and tools survivors need.
Fatima Sadaf Saied who runs the Muslim Women’s Organization said so often, Muslim women come to them after they’ve gone to a women’s shelter, but find it wasn’t a good fit for their family.
“That’s like, the vision for the whole weekend is just us coming together because we know what we need more than, say, somebody who's not Muslim or who's not a woman, and we want to just really center that and center the voices of survivors, and try to create something that's by us and for us.”
Sadaf Saied envisioned a model of care that would address barriers to accessing it.
“But these women, they can't afford childcare, you know, with Muslim women, a lot of times you have language barriers and immigration issues," said Sadaf Saied. "So, we're trying to think of what is a model that may be different for our community that meets its needs.”
Sadaf Saied says these resources must address specific cultural and religious needs, along with needs that are common to every survivor including housing assistance and emotional and spiritual counseling. To attend, register here.
If you or someone you love is experiencing abuse, call or text the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
