Cost of Co-optation: A Case Example in the Movement to End Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global public health issue rooted in social inequity. Although it affects everyone regardless of economic status, race/ethnicity, or geographic location, low-income communities and communities of color suffer a disproportionate amount of harm due to GBV. In the 1970s, women most affected by GBV organized across the U.S. to meet the needs of sexual and domestic violence survivors while addressing the sexist, white supremacist, and capitalist social structures responsible for such forms of violence. In the past forty years this movement has grown from one of grassroots collectives to non-profit service provision agencies. While mainstreaming has meant greater visibility, legitimacy, and financial resources, it has also resulted in reliance upon governmental funding streams and partnership with the prison industrial complex (PIC). Rather than addressing the causes of violence, the PIC targets low-income communities and communities of color through surveillance, policing, and imprisonment. This has only served to perpetuate all forms of violence and further entrench social inequality. Through a historical analysis and case study of an anonymous rape crisis center, we will examine the history of GBV movement “mainstreaming”, the extent of and rational for co-optation, and the impact this has had on the health of communities and the movement itself. Drawing on lessons learned from the case study and models developed by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, we will outline recommendations for current and future providers on how to address social determinants of health, promote a social justice agenda, and resist co-optation.