fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
How to Connect and view your Connections on Bixex
By: Victoria Lazarus
Tags: Bixex, Networking, Connections 2025, Influencers

Although Bixex is a platform focused on making it easy for anyone to make money online, it also provides an option for socializing and building your network. If, for instance, you are a starter on the platform, you can easily connect with influencers on the platform and build your connections. Below are five steps on how to do this:

Sign in to your Bixex account, navigate to the Connect & Follow option, and click to open.

option, and click to open. When you open, you would be provided with these 4 options

Your community My connections Invite in Invite out

Your community

Your community stands for people within the location you filled in when creating your Bixex account. For instance, if during the registration process, you filled in Lagos as your location, your community would include influencers within Lagos. This option displays influencers within your community with a connect option at the end of each profile. Click on the option to send out an invite. When you do, go back to the Connect & Follow option to send out more invites.

My connections

This stands for those you are connected with. If you have no connection, use the “your community” option to start building a network of influencers.

Invites in

This stands for those who are willing to connect with you and have sent out an invite option. When you click on the option, you would be provided with an option to either accept their connection invite or reject it. If there are no invites, it would show “no data found.”

Invite out

This option shows the number of invites you have sent out and the state of your invitation. You can also use the “invite out” option to cancel your invitation request.

Grow your network on Bixex following the above steps
El poder del Influencer Marketing en estrategias de marca
By: Isobar Spain
Tags: Digital, Redes Sociales, Influencia, Influencers, Marketing

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Thank you Anthony Moore for this.
By: Dr Aakash Kembhavi
Tags: Writer, Curation, Change, Policy, Influencers

Thank you Anthony Moore for this. I discovered Medium recently and I have been following you and other writers to learn more about writing for Medium myself. But, like you say, I have been reading about these changes and now I am confused about if I should start writing on this platform? Hope there are policy changes because I have learnt a lot from reading articles by you and other great people and I would love to start writing soon. Please keep writing and inspire us.
The Influence of Influencers — Social Media and Its Role in Democracy
By: Divya Pinge
Tags: Eia, Social Media, Democracy, Influencers, Citizenship

Image source: Freepik.com

A classic example of how social media and its influence, if channelized productively, holds the potential to fuel and transform citizen interest in matters of civic importance

In March 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change published the Draft Environment Impact Assessment Act, 2020 (EIA, 2020) seeking feedback from citizens. This Draft Bill was proposed to replace the original Draft EIA policy that was legislated in 2006.

The purpose of the Draft was to propose a new set of rules to be considered during the process of issuing environmental clearances to industrial projects. Given the nature of the bill and the current global debate surrounding environmentalism and industrialism, one would have expected a huge and immediate public outcry to the proposed Draft, when Civis published this consultation on its platform on 30th March 2020. However, it was not until July’20 that the number of Citizen responses on Civis’ platform started gaining traction.

What prompted this sudden spurt in citizen reactions?

The emergence of an increasing outpour of opinions across social media by well-known celebrities and influencers could very well be handed the credit for arousing citizen interest in the given bill.

A quick analysis of Google Trends indicates the initial three months since the Draft Bill became public, to have evoked maximum interest from states such as Delhi, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Haryana, and Assam. This trend saw a pronounced shift in subsequent days, with Tamil Nadu and Puducherry emerging as the regions with the maximum interest generated by way of their activity across the internet and validated by the responses that Civis received on its platform.

In unprecedented citizen activity, 133 responses from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, were recorded by Civis in July’20 alone. This, compared to the 5 responses gathered from these states across the whole of March-June’20 indicates the impact that social media had on public psychology when it came to matters of governance and national interest.

It was on the 26th of July’20 that Padma Priya, a well-known YouTuber from Chennai put up a public video voicing her views about the Draft EIA. This was followed by more such videos in the coming days along with other movie stars from Tamil Nadu being vociferous with their opinions on social media.

On the heels of the social media buzz generated by influencers from Tamil Nadu, the state of Kerala too picked up steam and on the 9th of August 2020, merely two days away from the Consultation deadline, a spoof video on EIA was published by an Instagram influencer from Kerala. This was followed by a very public and strong statement by Malayalam actress Parvathy on the 11th of August, addressing the Central Government.

In August 2020, Civis saw Kerala having overtaken its Tamilian neighbour with 45 responses, higher than any other state.

A timeline of the social media events and their subsequent impact on the citizen responses can be seen below:
3 Inspirational Young Women Whose Names You Should Know
By: Dare To Dream
Tags: Dare To Dream, Inspiration, Inspirational Women, Influencers

Over the last two years, we’ve seen the rise of some incredible, inspirational women who have truly proven the power you have when you are driven and determined. From one inspiring female to the other, these young girls have chosen to face the real challenges we see in our society and action real change. Here’s a look at 3 amazing, inspirational women today.

When you type inspiring female into Google, you’d be surprised by how many incredible stories you’d find, and the names of inspirational women who don’t always make headlines. These three incredibly young girls are icons for what it means to be inspirational women today.

Trisha Prabhu

Trisha took to her first TED talk at only 14, as an innovator and public speaker. Through her platform ReThink, she aims to put an end to the scourge of cyberbullying that is tormenting the lives of so many young boys and girls.

Trisha has shared her message at countless international education and technology conferences and has been covered by publishers like Business Insider, The International Business Times and the Huffington Post.

Trisha embodies the power of determination and innovation.

Malala Yousafzai

Now, Malala’s name is one that you should definitely know. She was the youngest woman to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize. She now runs an incredible organization called, Malala Fund which promotes education for girls and aids Syrian refugees.

At only 17, we cannot wait to see what incredible work Malala will continue to do for girls across the globe.

Allyson Ahlstrom

Allyson’s journey for the empowerment of girls started only 4 years ago and she is a testament that one thought can inspire change.

After being inspired by other teenagers who had action changed, Allyson started Threads for Teens which aims to clothe girls from extreme poverty and foster care. Allyson understood that for many women, much of our identity is rooted in how we dress and wanted to help every girl feel good.

To date, Allyson has helped clothe over 1600 young girls.

These girls are living proof of the Dare to Dream project motto, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

At Dare to Dream we are all about inspiring women and building networks that enable inspiring female mentors to share their stories and empower others to action change. Through programs and support, we aim to foster inspirational women today.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING.
Tags: Influencers, Social Media Marketing, Influence, Influencer Marketing

-Social media marketing helps improve brand loyalty.

Engaging with your customers and leads on social media helps you build stronger customer relationships. This can set you apart from your competition by showing your audience how your brand is different and reinforcing that your business cares about its customers.

Thankfully, social media allows for easy and effective brand building. Social media has a benefit over traditional media because it can get your brand in front of people much more quickly and easily. Furthermore, it gets your audience looking at your brand even when they aren’t thinking about your brand or product.

-How social media can be used for marketing?

Social media allows even the smallest business to interact with the wider world. Social media allows you to create a dynamic online presence and establish a dialogue with a wide audience — including existing customers, new prospects, your competitors and suppliers.

-Why is social media important in 2020?

Social media is important because it allows you to reach, nurture, and engage with your target audience — no matter their location. When a business can use social media to connect with its audience, it can use social media to generate brand awareness, leads, sales, and revenue.

-How does social media affect marketing?

Social media has become a powerful platform for marketing due to the high brand exposure and great return on investment. … The biggest effect of social media marketing is that you can reach to your targeted audience, stay engaged with them and respond to their queries quickly.

-What makes social media attractive?

Social media allows us to connect with other like-minded individuals more easily, and at a faster pace, than ever before. It also helps us find new interests, while realizing that we might not be alone in our love of some particular topic or hobby.

-Social media marketing is extremely cost-effective

Implementing a social media marketing strategy is a fantastic way to reach your target audience without a huge budget. When it comes to ads, they’re also extremely cost-effective since you only pay the platform when users click on your ad (for many platforms).

-Some of the most popular platforms for brand development and marketing include:

1) Facebook.

2) Twitter.

3) Instagram.

4) LinkedIn.

5) Snapchat.

6) Pinterest.

FOR MORE ARTICLES AND INFORMATION VISIT OUR PAGE- www.infabrands.com
When you get in at the start of something new, you have the advantage.
By: Rebecca Sealfon
Tags: Social Media Strategy, Social Media, Influencers, Ｍedium, Writing Tips

When you get in at the start of something new, you have the advantage. For me, this seems to be short-form Medium posts. They are a new feature and the short-form posts I write are at least as well-viewed as the long-form posts I’ve written in the past.

I’ll at least double my earnings from Medium by writing them.
Journey of social media influencer, blogger & sports enthusiast:Kabaddi Ashish chaurasiya
Tags: Ashish, Kabaddi, Blogger, Influencers, Ashishchaurasiya

Ashish chaurasiya is a social media influencer, blogger and sports enthusiast:kabaddi. who manages the social media marketing and digital marketing of many people and other sports players from Mumbai.he is a member of Kabaddi club in mumbai.His Instagram username is @iashish04 he is very active on every social media platforms.

He learnt the art of managing social media pages the best making him competent to help people in their online branding.Ashish chaurasiya was born on 4th November 1999 in mumbai His parents – Chandrika chaurasiya and pramila chaurasiya are from a middle-class family and like any other parents wished their son to make them proud with his achievements.

The life of Ashish chaurasiya has been phenomenal when it comes to social media influencers. He has made many people in shaping up their social media profiles thus helping them grow digitally and making their business grow. Ashish chaurasiya has worked with many individuals and business groups helping them grow their social media lives the best. Some of his high profile clients players of kabaddi,Kabaddi clubs,local business group and brands and many more...

He has remained the part of many social media campaigns for brands and celebs who hail from the sports category and creative world.

Social Work

He is also engaged in social activities like helping NGOs and groups willing to contribute to society with different social media campaigns. He has helped to raise funds for various causes in his hometown and Mumbai and has remained in the forefront to drive the campaign the best on various social issues.
How I Closed More Than 25+ Collaborations for my Organization
By: Sreekar Gangisetty
Tags: Digital Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Strategy, Collaboration, Influencers

One of the initial responsibilities which I gladly accepted after joining Metvy was to handle Influencer Marketing, but with a couple of catches:

1. I have never done this before.

2. We were only interested in free collaborations.

Tough? Not for me. In fact, the only tedious work was to shortlist the influencers but once we’ve engaged in a conversation, I was able to successfully close 7 out of 10 influencers in the first call itself and 8 out of 10 with regular followups.

How did I manage to do this? Here’s how!
…to follow or not to follow: choosing the right influencers for you
By: Adel Tipora
Tags: Social Media, Storyteller, Conscious Living, Choices Matter, Influencers

What I choose to watch either feeds my soul or expands my mind.

If you’re not reading this in real time we’re living through the COVID-19 pandemic. What has helped me survive solo quarantine has been, let’s face it, tv, lots of it, and of course, social media like my Youtube, Instagram … yeah.



Now, just because I have more time doesn’t mean that I’ve been mindlessly consuming content from these platforms. In fact, I think I’ve become even more picky about what I watch just because I recognize the grab for my attention which has intensified.

Speaking of feeding my soul, that is why we are here today. I recently watched the Face on Prime video and I quite liked it for what it was. I was thoroughly entertained but it also got me thinking – which I believe good programming or content should also do.

If you’re not familiar with the Face, which I wasn’t until I watched it, it pits three supermodels against one another to find the newest face for MAX factor, a popular beauty retailer in the UK. In every episode the supermodels mentor their group of models through various challenges hoping that one of their models will emerge victorious at the end of the season.

Aside from the usual glamour and drama between the models, two things also struck me:

1. What is mentorship and what does it means to be a good mentor; and can anyone be a mentor? We do all know something that somebody else doesn’t.

2. The changing face of mentorship in an increasingly digital society.

“It’s so easy to hit the follow button these days that we forget that by following people online we’re in effect inviting them into our lives and giving them permission to influence our perception perhaps even highjack our minds!
Top 10 Influencer Marketing Strategy Boosting Segments in 2021 [Infographic]
By: Roi Overload
Tags: Digital Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Influencers, Social Media Marketing, Marketing

Top 10 Influencer Marketing Strategy Boosting Segments in 2021 [Infographic]

74% of customers trust social networks to guide purchasing decisions. In 2021, when trust is at peak importance, is your influencer marketing strategy delivering the results you need? ROI Overload Dec 6, 2020·3 min read

Yet again social media is shaking up your marketing mix for 2021. The latest research shows 86% of marketers used influencer marketing in the last 12 months. But with the changing habits and ever-evolving platform diversification we’ve seen this year in particular, it’s more important than ever to consider your influencer marketing strategy.

Want to plan your influencer marketing strategy for more customer conversions?

Segmenting influencers into different types will help you prioritize types of influencers to monitor and interact with. It should be a core approach to support your content marketing, SEO and social media marketing.

If you’re new to influencer segmentation, take a look at the below practical infographic from Traackr: The Many Faces of Influence — you may be able to spot some famous US digital marketing commentators there!
Why Everybody Wants to Start an Online Business and Quit Their Traditional Jobs
By: Walid Ao
Tags: Social Media, Startup, Online Business, Influencers, Business

Why Everybody Wants to Start an Online Business and Quit Their Traditional Jobs

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

Nowadays, everybody dreams of becoming their own boss. The internet and social media influencers make it look easy. Whether you want to sell physical items over the internet, sell courses, be an influencer over social media, or even stream gaming videos over the internet, someone is willing to teach you how to become successful in “insert niche here.”

Recent studies show that people are becoming frustrated from their 9–5 jobs and would like to quit. People want to travel more and have more time with their families. That, along with the fact that social media personas make it look easy, clarifies why more people want to have their own online business.

Seeing all these people have money, talk about their online success, doing what they want on social media makes you want to do the same thing. It’s not that hard to be successful online, as many of these influencers say it is. You must feel that your 9–5 is hard, stressful, and underpaid — why not venture to this online world of business. In the end, it can start as a side hustle.

How could you say no to making money online while roaming the world? — well not in 2020 as of writing this post 😁.

Here are some reasons why everybody wants to “make it online,” and nobody wants a traditional job anymore:
On a personal note, by Alessia Moccia — Influencer Marketing Course
By: Alessia Moccia
Tags: Influencer Marketing Tips, Influencer Campaigns, Influencer Marketing, Influencers, Influencer Relations

Dear Friend, I am so glad to welcome you to my Influencer Marketing Courses. I’m thrilled that you’re interested in hearing more from me and can’t wait to start sharing with you here. After all, what is life without having people to share it with?

In the meantime, if you’re craving more and don’t want to wait for the next email (who can blame you?), check out my wealth of resources below to put your creative business on overdrive.

You will be hearing more

from me soon. Promise.
Nexus Updates for November, 2020
Tags: Content Creators, Business, Influencers, Games, Updates

Our primary goal at Nexus is to support content creators with the best possible updates and features in order to positively impact a creator’s business.

In November 2020, our updates mainly revolved around back-end improvements (like improving our fraud detection, re-enabling PayPal, and making our Creator Dashboard faster) but also a few front-end tweaks (like a buy button that’s always visible).

Here are a few of the main updates we made last month:

PayPal

PayPal is back! We’ve re-enabled PayPal as a payment option for checkout. We also added a new fraud protection service that will help reduce fraudulent PayPal transactions.

Protecting against fraud is important to us so we can accurately support creators (think about how awful fake donations are on Twitch) and also accurately support the developers and publishers offering their games on Nexus.

Always Visible Buy Button

We made the buy button always visible for the visitors to your Nexus. When your visitors scroll down to read about a game, the buy button will scroll with them and display at the top of the page. This helps boost conversion rates and makes it easier for customers to add your games to their cart.

Notifications

We’ve added a new notifications feature. Now, when someone buys a game from your Nexus, you’ll get an email letting you know who bought what. This is the first of many new notification features that will be rolling out over the next few months, keeping you up to date with what’s happening on your Nexus. You can opt out anytime in the Settings page of the Creator Dashboard.

Performance Improvements

We’ve improved the performance of the Games page in the Creator Dashboard to be faster! We will continue improving performance, particularly for users on the Firefox browser.

More Games, Faster

We’ve also been working on administrative features to improve the process of adding new games to the Game Library. While you can’t see this on the front-end, it means more games will be added faster, allowing you to quickly add the latest and greatest games to your Nexus.

Sneak Peek

Soon, you’ll have access to the full Game Library!

What does this mean for you?

Your community will be able to buy any game available in the Game Library, not just your top 10. That means you’ll have the ability to sell any game Nexus has available and further build your income. Your top 10 games will continue to be showcased in your Nexus, but you’ll no longer be limited to only selling those games.

Want to see any other specific features? Let us know on Discord.
This Is Just How It Is
Tags: Domestic Violence, Feminism, Me Too Movement, Speak Up, Domestic Abuse

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Have you ever witnessed or experienced verbal, emotional, or physical abuse? This may be a deep and personal question, but I ask it because it occurred to me that certain forms of abuse are very nuanced, especially in my culture and I assume in many cultures. Recently, I heard a story about a husband slapping his wife. The husband was not in white tank top, but in a button-down shirt and slacks with a fancy watch on his wrist and leather dress shoes on his feet. She had asked him to get the laundry and he didn’t, so she raised her voice. This irritated him so he hit her.

Let’s consider the husband’s point of view. He buys her everything she wants, takes her wherever she wants to go, and cares for her. However, he had a tough day at work and his wife was not sympathetic to this. She kept rudely ordering him to get the laundry, so he hit his “limit” and lost his cool. He thought the only way to get her to stop irritating him was to hit her.

We never hear about these cases and very rarely do we hear the man’s point of view. It’s because in such cases, the woman was verbally abusing her husband, so he had no choice but to hit her to defend himself. The woman also has no reason to complain because she instigated him to do what he did. Therefore, the woman is the one to blame, right?

Society has forced men AND women to believe that this is just how it is. It’s not that society has not acknowledged that men have a superiority complex, shorter tempers, and bigger egos than women. Even men have accepted that they possess these traits. However, these traits are guarded in a glass box. Women are forced to tiptoe around these traits and the moment they make a sound, the glass box cracks.
Domestic Violence: Walking Out of The Darkness
By: Ms Career Girl Blog
Tags: Domesticviolence

You are walking down the street and notice a woman walking beside you. She is holding a little girl’s hand who can’t be a day older than four. The girl yammers away, talking about fruit loops and art class, asking her mother why they are in such a hurry. The woman’s eyes franticly rove the crowds, looking. Searching. Who is she looking for? The woman’s long auburn hair is a bit disheveled, shirt rumpled and dirty. She holds tighter to the squirmy child’s hands, taking hurried steps, dragging her little girl behind, halting at a blinking orange crosswalk.



You step up beside her, the three of you waiting for the light to change. She pushes a strand of long hair behind her ear, and you notice discoloration along the side of her temple. A bruise. As your eyes trickle down, you can see another blue blemish decorating her neck. Her skin is blotched in blues and purples, a macabre painting of violence. “He’s probably beating her at home,” you think to yourself, shaking your head. You now see her sprint ahead of you, the two figures getting swallowed up into the sea of commuters. As you make your way through the bustle of the city, you wonder, “Why doesn’t she just leave him?”



Sometimes when we see a movie on domestic violence or watch documentaries, we only see half the story. In the beginning, the woman dates Mr. Charming. He’s perfect and suave, winning smile and manners. What could go wrong? Later, the man transforms from prince to beast, the opposite of a fairytale. She runs
Staying safe over Christmas
Tags: Mentoring, Domestic Violence, Safe Christmas, Survivor, Domestic Abuse

The festive season can be a time of joy and togetherness. However if you are a victim/survivor of abuse it can also be a time of great danger. Here’s what you can do to stay safe during the holidays — whether you recently left your abuser or you’re still in active danger.

If you are still in active danger

If you are still living or in direct contact with your abuser then Christmas can be a time of heightened stress and increased abuse. Whether you are ready to break free from your abuser or not, prolonged time together during the festive season can aggravate abusive behaviour. Take these steps to stay as safe as possible:

Find regular reasons to get a break. Whether needing to run errands, going for a long drive or taking baby for a walk ; find a reason to give yourself a break every day.

If possible schedule regular interactions with others so that you are not alone too much. Even just checking in on an elderly neighbour can offer respite and connection.

Be careful if your abuser is intoxicated. Find reasons to be around others during this time, ideally also at night. Physical violence gets worse when abusers are drunk or on drugs.

Stay in touch with your survivor mentor and let them know what is going on. They will support you regardless of your circumstance. If you don’t have a survivor mentor this might be a good time to consider peer mentoring. You can find access to mentors via organisations like Blossom Movement.

Have a safety plan in place should the abuse get too much to bare. 000 and 1800respect are always available to you, even during the festive season. If you’re not able to speak you can use the webchat on their website at any time of the day.

Hide a cheap mobile phone somewhere with some credit on so you can text should the abuse become too much to bare. You can agree with your mentor or safety network on an emoji you may send should you need urgent help. Always keep the petrol tank in your car have full and have an escape bag hidden away just in case.

If you recently left your abuser
Are You a Victim of Domestic Violence?
By: Ann Arbor Counseling Associates
Tags: Domestic Violence, Mental Health, Relationships

Are you the victim of a physically violent relationship and can’t tell anyone without being judged?

You might be asking “How did I get here?”, or telling yourself “I never thought I would be someone who would stay after all that has happened.” Despite being an intelligent and loving person, you have found yourself in a relationship with someone you simultaneously love and are terrified of. You know their softer side, and thus have a hard time making sense of their explosive moods. You might feel alone and like no one understands. You love your partner, but there is no reasoning with them.

No matter what you do, they always get mad at you and you’re worrying how far it’s going to go. Domestic violence can happen to anyone. Come here and get the support you need for where you are right now. Our counselors are empathetic, non-judgmental, and supportive. Call today to set up an appointment.

Are you worried you’re going to take it too far and end up really hurting someone?

Do you worry that your anger is getting out of control and you’re becoming more and more aggressive toward the ones you care about? Do you fear that you’re going to end up just like that person you grew up despising? If you feel like your aggression is turning physical and you worry that you’re going to do something you regret, you know what’s at stake if you don’t get help now.

Take this moment to set up an appointment. You don’t have to live day-by-day fearing the safety of those you love any longer. With counseling, you can overcome this pattern of violence and help yourself and those around you feel safe.

Reasons why others have chosen counseling:

Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

Having anxiety that is getting in the way of work, school, or social life

Difficulty managing substance use

Individuals wanting to improve significant relationships

Couples wanting to reconnect and reduce conflict

Coping with the thoughts and feelings associated with grief or loss

Managing the emotional stress of being a caregiver

Managing the complex feelings of having a chronic illness

Coping with the lingering effects that trauma has had on your life

Managing life after a divorce

Coping with a change that has left an impact on your life

Having mood swings or behaviors that have interfered with success at work, school, or in significant relationships

If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment or you’d like more information, please contact us.
MY JOURNEY AS THE CO-LEAD OF THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO END GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
By: Merih Deniz Toruner
Tags: Domestic Violence, Gender Based Violence, Volunteering, Violence, Covid 19

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

Disclaimer: The following article contains information about domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence. If you have been subjected to abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233, or TTY (TeleType) 1−800−787−3224.

We’re going through something extremely unprecedented: a global pandemic. It’s difficult to imagine that pandemics, like world wars, are even possible, especially for those of us who have only seen them through the lenses of textbooks. Throughout this pandemic, we get lost in ourselves and forget about all the other lives and what they are going through: immigrants who cannot seek medical attention because they are undocumented, men and women who cannot go back home because they’re abused and the domestic abuse shelters are closed…

I began work with the CVT (Coronavirus Visualization Team) in late June as the project co-lead for the Global Initiative to End Gender-Based Violence. CVT is a non-profit Harvard University student-founded organization where our main aim is to raise awareness through using computer science and visualizations in order to fight the misinformation going all around. Gender-based violence was an area that drastically got affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of stay at home orders, domestically abused people got abused more at home. Many victims couldn’t report incidents because of the unavailability of advocates, shelters, or because of constant proximity with their abuser. Being able to help people through this project made a dream come true. Through this pandemic, we’ve forgotten how to help or reach out to people. We’ve only cared about buying enough masks or hand sanitizers, but we forgot how it felt to be a human, how our heart ached when we saw someone getting hurt in the streets or at home. We’ve only cared about keeping our distance: but this distance transitioned from a physical distance to an emotional distance: we’ve forgotten everything except ourselves and perhaps our families and formed a new world where only our problems exist. So this project was a dream come true.
If Number Nineteen is Asleep
By: Anna Murzyn
Tags: Domestic Violence, Poem, Women, Poetry, Covid 19

Photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash

It is twenty two degrees

Outside flat seventeen

As the window boxes of the man

With the contagious laugh

Wilt unseen.

At the point where stale air

Strikes blind

Concrete, fluorescent

Strip lit hunger and despair

Fuel restless runs to nowhere;

Whizzing like livid bullets

Up and down corridors

In that film where

There is no one left

To scare.

In bed,

They are playing

Exploding kittens

Switching tabs

Between memes, schoolwork

And the obscene

Boredom seeping into family

Cracks like drugs

And the thud

Thud, thud, then muffled silence

On the floor above.

A golden-haired toddler

Sits pink in a pool

The size of a paving slab

Pushing out plastic

Toys

Falling

Between the rails

Onto the hiding boys

In the empty emergency

Bay below.

Key workers, new

Heroes return

Drunk

With exhaustion and

Brute fear

To bare

Shelves and faces

Up-lit by blue screens

Of imaginary battles

In dystopia.

At teatime

We gather

As pigeons on platforms,

Gulping the air

We share

One balcony to twenty

Of us,

And we talk,

Spread

Secrets, sometimes,

If number nineteen

Is asleep, we even

Sing.

Until, against all hope,

The sound slices

Through the fever

Like a slap

At a wedding:

The door kicked in again

And the snatch

Of the chain

Chokes us

All at once.

Inside

Boxes on boxes,

Two metres

Is the length

Of the bedroom.

© Anna Murzyn June 2020
A Healthy Relationship Is Beyond Having A Loving Partner
By: Joshua Idegbere
Tags: Domestic Violence, Relationships, Marriage, Women, Advice

Lockdown and ‘Intimate Terrorism’.

As cities and towns across China locked down, a 26-year-old woman named Lele found herself entangled in more and more arguments with her husband, with whom she now had to spend every hour in their home in Anhui Province, in eastern China.

On March 1, while Lele was holding her 11-month-old daughter, her husband began to beat her with a high chair. She is not sure how many times he hit her. Eventually, she says, one of her legs lost feeling and she fell to the ground, still holding the baby in her arms.

A photograph she took after the incident shows the high chair lying on the floor in pieces, two of its metal legs snapped off — evidence of the force with which her husband wielded it against her. Another image documents Lele’s injuries: Nearly every inch of her lower legs was covered in bruises, a huge hematoma blooming on her left calf.

Lele — her full name is not being used for her safety — said that her husband had abused her throughout their six-year relationship, but that the COVID-19 outbreak made things far worse.

“During the epidemic, we could not go outside, and our conflicts just grew bigger and bigger and more and more frequent,” she said. “Everything was exposed.”

Intimate partner violence is global rather than local development. Women in most countries of the world - those who could speak out and have the data collected - suffered in the hands of their supposed love partners now turned abusers.

In the Hubei province of China, domestic violence reports to police more than tripled compared to the previous year, jumping from 47 cases in February 2019 to 162 cases in February 2020.

In India, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has seen a more than twofold rise in gender-based violence during the lockdown in India. Between 23 March and 16 April, NCW registered 587 domestic violence complaints, a ~45% increase from the previous 25 days.

The Childline India helpline received over 92,000 calls between 20–31 March, the start of India’s lockdown, asking for protection from abuse and violence. The extended confinement has also trapped children with their abusers at home.

In Turkey, activists have reported that the killing of women has risen sharply since the first stay-at-home order was issued on 11 March, with at least 12 women killed between the stay-at-home order and the end of the month. The head of the Turkish Federation of Women’s Associations echoed these comments, stating that the emergency hotlines had a surge of callers amid the outbreak, with physical and psychological abuse being the most identified.
A day in the life of women…
By: Sarah J. Baker
Tags: Domestic Violence, Feminism, Women, Short Form, Fragile Masculinity

A day in the life of women…

Man: This post is sexist. What about men? Their voices should be heard.

Me: You should definitely join in a discussion about that. This one’s about women.

Man: Just because the post is primarily about females doesn’t mean we should neglect males.

Me: This post is 100% about females. I see plenty of posts that are 100% about males. Interestingly I don't see you contributing to them.

Man: Show us the 100s of posts about men? I’ve only seen one this year.

Me: You can find the “plenty” of posts yourself by caring enough to look for them.

Man: You made the claim. You provide the articles. That’s how it works… because I’m a man, wah-wah, and I can’t be expected to do it myself, wah-wah, that’s what women are for, to do my homework for me, wahhhh.

Me: Yawn.
All she had on was her red thigh-high Christmas boots.
By: Toni Crowe
Tags: Domestic Violence, Friendship, Relationships, Motherhood, Christmas

All she had on was her red thigh-high Christmas boots. Our next-door neighbor was a young woman whose husband abused her. Everyone knew. You could hear him whipping her ass. The black eyes were evident. No one interfered. Until she decided she was done, it was folly to intercede. She would be back with him the next day.

On Christmas eve, our neighbor appeared at our door wearing nothing but her boots. Her boyfriend had stripped her naked and put her out. The man came to our door, banging loudly, yelling, threatening violence, and demanding that my mom let him in. Our house had a double foyer with double doors. My mother stuck her head out the inside door and yelled to him, “Stay right there. Let me get my gun.” He left and did not return to our house. Our naked neighbor never went back to him.
Domestic Violence
Tags: Arguments, Domestic Violence, Domestic Abuse, Marraige, Language

One in every other woman faces this behavior. And yet told, that “Don’t worry, your husband loves you.” “ He must have done in it as a joke..” “ He says this and that as he cares for you.” “ He doesn’t allow you to meet your family, as he can’t live without you.”

Do they really mean what they said? If yes, why are their actions contradict to what they call “Love”, “Care” and “ Living without you”?

These are mere excuses to take off the blame and put it on you. Why do they do that? For fun or as a revenge of something? For satisfaction?? Or just want to keep in charge of you???

Whatever it is, it’s unacceptable.

To all those people, who use these misconceptions for these beautiful words are blind.

First, if you really love someone you appreciate their presence, encourage and acknowledge them. You make them grow.

Second, if you really care, you don’t let them down even through a joke. You don’t hurt their feelings, yet try to understand them and be there for them when you need them. You make them feel important in your life.

Lastly, if they can’t live without us, why they use such behavior or put pressure through threats?? If someone really want that, they won’t do any such thing to let you go but do anything to let you stay. They will make it work with full efforts.

So, next time better control yourself from say, abusive arguments, violence or behavior ( if in case you really mean what you say).
I can absolutely relate.
By: Jenna Fyffe
Tags: Domestic Violence, Relationships, Self Improvement, Love, Toxic Relationships

I can absolutely relate. Just the other day I said to my new guy, “I don’t know what to do with my hands!”😂 Most people won’t understand how that reference correlates in a relationship, but it’s a way for us to emphasize the fact that although we’ve been in a relationship before, we weren’t in a healthy relationship. And the time we have spent in a toxic relationship has conditioned us to be timid, wary, nervous, compulsively apologetic, codependent, and ready to spit out 100 unnecessary and sometimes undeserved compliments or praises at any given time. As I gain more time away from my past toxic relationship, it becomes more and more clear just how absurd it was to constantly tell some asshole how great he was! It was like an overwhelming fear of what if the meter runs out?! I had to keep singing praises to this asshole to make sure his ego was well-fed because if that meter ever ran out.. Well I’d certainly be wishing I had just told the dumbass how great and awesome he is! And to people that have never been in a situation like that, they have some clarity when observing it and can see how utterly ridiculous it is that a person would do that. And now when talking to my wonderful guy that is the polar opposite of the toxic one, if I start going on about how I don’t deserve him and I know I’m a burden, etc he looks at me with such disbelief and is astonished to realize I’m not joking and he almost can’t gather the words to gently let me know that’s the most ridiculous thing I could think because every day he wonders what he can do to be better so one day he might feel as though HE deserves ME. Like what?? There must be a mistake because he’s amazing and the only words used to describe me in the past were worthless, useless, and the like. So how does someone not only think totally different of me, but he actually feels like he’s not worthy of me! That blows my mind… but it shouldn’t. It’s hard to retrain your brain and not only act and accept differently than we have in the past, but we’re trying to see ourselves as completely different than the lies we used to believe. It’s quite a journey. And although I think all men should be awesome, I definitely know they’re not all like the one I have now. But thank God for these amazing people that come into our lives and don’t see us as something broken but can look at us as the exciting puzzles we can be and they give their all in putting together the puzzle in order to view the amazing thing it creates- together! Your guy is special, and he’s absolutely just what you needed!
My Encounter With “The Devil”
Tags: Rape, Abuse, Domestic Violence, Healing, Mental Illness

The Verbal Abuse

We met on a dating site and fell in love and blah blah blah. A year into our relationship I swear it’s like a light switch went off in his head. I think it’s the drugs we started using and became heavily addicted to. He suddenly became this manipulative, controlling, meanest, most horrible person I had ever met. He started by verbally abusing me telling me:

I’m not good enough for anyone.

I’m nothing and will always be nothing.

I’m ugly and fat, so fat that he would tell me not to eat and control what I ate.

I’m worthless, etc.

I’m sorry but after you hear this everyday for about 3 years, you start to believe it. I became so depressed all I would do is sleep. Garbage would pile up and I couldn’t care because the abuse was so bad and all I wanted to do was get high and block everything out.
After The Tower…
By: Salem Jorden
Tags: New York City, Domestic Violence, Tarot, Art, Artist

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

— HARUKI MURAKAMI

I’ve officially been a New Yorker for five months. My warm welcome to the city consisted of tears, trauma, and a fuck ton of fancy bubbly. I spent my first three months here hating every day and traveling back to Atlanta as much as it was safely possible during a global health pandemic. Last month, something changed.

I was sitting in Hartsfield-Jackson, waiting to board my flight back to New York City. While waiting, a stranger decided to strike up a socially distanced conversation with me. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained to him that I was an artist, kind of. Naturally, this was the set up for many follow up questions. I ended up being very transparent with this stranger. I explained that my trajectory had changed entirely, and I hadn’t been able to paint in what felt like forever. I word vomited about how I’d never wanted to live in New York but was forced to leave my dream loft and art studio due to being a victim of domestic violence and aggravated stalking. This stranger, an artist of color himself, was incredibly empathetic. But also told me literally — to get my head out of my ass and paint. And to help me do so? He hired me for two four figure commissions. Life-changing. We had a very long conversation about mindset and the concept of not letting life and painful circumstances halt your art. He had very fresh takes on leaving comfort and stability to embrace chaos and the unknown. Was the conversation a bit corny? Absolutely. He had a very “everything happens for a reason” scope of life. Was the conversation necessary? Absolutely. In fact, it rocked my world a bit.

Instead of looking at things through the lens of the battered woman displaced into a big, intimidating city in June, I’m beginning to see through the lens of a woman who survived The Dark Night of The Soul. Instead of falling from The Tower and landing bruised at rock bottom, I landed in a cuddle pile full of love, endless support, and in a whole new world that embraced me rather than “othering” me. There has been nothing more freeing than being around people that I can be my most authentic self with and finally just relaxing. I have a community like never before.

So this is where I am. My cross streets are freedom and resilience. There are no choices to be made right now. Legba, my ancestral team, and I are simply chillin’. I’m not late to the crossroads; I’m on time. They’ve been waiting. After The Tower comes The Star. The Fool’s journey is infinite.
Or Maybe Just Me
Tags: Abuse, Identity, Domestic Violence, Family

There is enough trauma in my body for 10 of me

Sex therapy is nothing like Robin said it would be

I showed up in the body of a 24-year-old but in the feeling of a four year old

There is no such thing as pleasure to me, only pain.

Pleasure is sloppy and dangerous, the same way men are.

It took me ten years to talk about what happened to me because I always thought nobody could be mean to a child.

And surely the pain was my overactive imagination.