Proceedings of the Global Conference on Gender Studies
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Housing Hope: Reimagining Shelter Homes As Transformative Spaces For Survivors Of Gender-Based Violence
Aanchal Seema Khulbe
ABSTRACT:
Shelter homes are imagined to provide a safe space for survivors of gender-based violence to access physical safety away from sites of violence. However, from the architecture of these spaces—small and congested— to their actual functioning, shelters often act as more violent than the families the survivors have fled from. Is this because they are perceived as pit-stops before individuals move on to a more ‘stable’, ‘secure’, or ‘permanent’ accommodation? There are also innumerable recorded instances of violence within these ‘safe havens’, that further scar the survivors. In this context, some shelters act as claustrophobic prison-like spaces, with several restrictions imposed on residents, thus exercising control on women’s choices and mobility. This paper asserts that shelters can be reimagined as transformative spaces that open possibilities of not just rehabilitation, but also building one’s personhood, finding solidarity and sisterhood, integrating with opportunities of employment, building community, and accessing mental healthcare. Through an interdisciplinary approach, this paper aims to dive into the many possibilities that shelters can open, to produce accessible spaces where freedom and agency are centred. Furthermore, the paper explores good practices among shelter management, collaborative partnerships between shelters, government agencies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, while centring the needs expressed by survivors through qualitative methods like interviews and case studies. The paper reimagines shelters as lifelines for survivors which provide the necessary resources for healing and self-development. It contributes to widening the discourse on gender-based violence and trauma-informed care, and strengthening support systems for survivors of violence.
keywords: shelters, gender-based violence, mobility, trauma-informed care, safe spaces