Alina Victor testifies for Womankind on culturally specific services
Womankind Chief Program Officer says the organization serves nearly 3,000 survivors annually in 18 languages. She urges that success be measured by impact on the most affected and that culturally specific organizations be engaged as partners from the beginning.
Hi, good morning.
My name is Alina Victor.
So, sorry, good morning, Chair and members of the committee.
My name is Alina Victor.
I am the Chief Program Officer at Womankind.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on restructuring the Mayor's Office to end domestic and gender-based violence under the Office of Community Safety.
For more than 44 years, Womankind has supported survivors of gender-based violence, particularly immigrant survivors who are often excluded from mainstream services.
We serve nearly 3,000 survivors annually in 18 languages.
As the committee evaluates this restructuring, we urge you to begin with a simple standard.
Success should be measured by its impact on the most affected by violence.
We recognize the opportunities this transition presents.
Survivors do not experience violence in isolation.
Survivors'experiences aren't inherently intersectional.
Many navigating poverty, housing instability, mental health challenges, discrimination, immigration-related barriers,
and language access challenges, while also holding multiple identities that shape how they experience violence, access support, and move forward towards safety and healing.
A more coordinated approach to safety, healing, and stability that truly sees and hears a survivor's experience is important.
Culturally specific organizations must remain central to this work.
Led by and accountable to the communities they serve, they center the people historically excluded from mainstream.
and build on cultural traditions, lived experiences, and community strengths to help survivors heal and thrive.
Organizations like Womankind bring trusted relationships built over decades.
We serve as bridges between communities and systems, elevating the voices of survivors whose experiences are often absent from policy conversations.
We exist to serve survivors, confront violence at its root, and build a future free from violence in a way that honors, strengthens, and uplifts cultures and the communities we call home.
As New York City develops a broader vision for community safety, culturally specific organizations should not be consulted at the end of the process.
We should be engaged as meaningful partners from beginning to help shape policies and solutions to reflect the realities of the most impacted communities.
Thank you.