Restoryation

was created to capture a specific moment in time — encompassing not only the widespread death, pain, and isolation brought by Covid-19 but also the heightened awareness of anti-Blackness, systems of oppression, deepening societal divisiveness, and the relentless daily challenges that often made it feel as though the world was unraveling. Restoryation was created to capture this moment in time while creating an opportunity for victim service providers (victim advocates) of the anti-violence movement to reflect, heal, and brainstorm solutions for a sustainable and supportive movement and field that continues to work collectively towards ending gender-based violence.​ A core belief of this project is that there is wisdom, community, healing, and learning when we come together to share our stories.

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ICADV was part of the “origin story” of this national project. This groundbreaking project spanned 24 states and territories, uniting advocates to reflect, share, and build a sustainable future for the movement to end gender violence. To ensure the continuity of domestic violence services during COVID-19, it is important to assess not only the needs of survivors but also the needs of advocates working at the 22 victim service provider agencies across Iowa. 

 

Staff working in Iowa’s victim services are not only providing care work but have been deemed essential workers by government officials. According to the CDC, this means that they provide services that are “essential to ensure the continuity of critical functions.” Further, programs’ direct service staff are frontline service providers and are at the highest risk for work-related exposure to pathogens such as COVID-19. As if it were not already known by those performing care work, the past two years of a global pandemic have laid bare the inadequacies of our care structure and the essential need to take care of care workers.

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Prior to COVID-19, studies specifically on domestic violence service providers found that of those service providers surveyed, 47.3% met the criteria for clinical levels of PTSD[1]. One can easily imagine how a global pandemic that has both exacerbated violence[i] and exposed domestic violence shelter workers through the intimacy of their work to populations particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 has made the work of providing care even more arduous and essential than before. Finally, the current state of workplace wellness for women, particularly in victim services advocacy, underscores an urgent need for systemic change. Women* across all sectors face unique challenges, with 51% reporting frequent stress and 42% experiencing negative mental health impacts from work. Daily disruptions, such as managing personal and professional responsibilities, increase burnout risk by 81% [ii]. 

 

[1] Slattery, S. M., & Goodman, L. A. (2009). Secondary traumatic stress among domestic violence advocates: Workplace risk and protective factors. Violence Against Women, 15, 1358-1379.

 

[i] First, Jennifer; First, Nathan, & Houston, J. Brian (2017) Intimate Partner Violence and Disasters: A Framework for Empowering Women Experiencing Violence in Disaster Settings Journal of Women and Social Work, Vol. 32(3) 390-403. World Health Organization, Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention (2005) Violence and Disasters Fact Sheet. COVID 19 Power and Control Wheel from the Battered Women’s Justice Project, Accessed online January 24, 2022 - https://www.bwjp.org//news/covid-coercive-control-wheel-combined.pdf.

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[ii]  Barry, Houpter, Guggenheim, 2024