Between Friends: Conversations with Maitri

In this insightful episode, Simi Markar, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, joins our host, Nandini Ray, to explore the realities of couples counseling and partner relationships.What exactly is couples counseling, and when should couples consider seeking support? What are the early warningsigns of a toxic or unhealthy relationship? How do family interference, cultural expectations, and traditional gender roles shape couple relationships in the South Asian community — and how can couples navigate these pressureswithout harming their bond?Tune in for a thoughtful conversation filled with professional insights, practical guidance, and culturally grounded perspectives on building healthier relationships.About Simi Markar: Simi Markar, MFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the Bay Area. She has been in practice for the last 20 years and is the founder of Mindset Counseling Group. This is a group practice that has a diverse team of clinicians and serves clients all throughout California. Herwork has been focused on supporting the South Asian community on issues related to: marriage, parenting, divorce, and co-parenting. She is passionate about reducing the stigma around mental health and making counselingservices easy to access. More info can be found on the website: www.mindsetcounselinggroup.com

Welcome to Policy Matters, a quarterly presentation from Maitri Policy Advocacy, where we discuss public policies that shape the prevention, intervention, and overall attention to domestic violence within our communities. In your Second Episode, we revisit the need for funding Domestic violence services in CA. Earlier in January of this year, Governor Newsom announced the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and it failed to take into account what advocates have been asking for: increased funding for domestic violence services. We reverberate the response released by the VOCA Advocacy Alliance of CA and seek your support in reaching out to the Legislatures. This episode is created by Maitri Policy Advocacy and voiced by Smitha Chandrasekhar, Smitha Chandrasekhar is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Biology. She is currently on the pre-med track and intends to focus on a career in women’s reproductive health and oncology. Smitha has been volunteering with Maitri for almost a year and is deeply invested in promoting the rights of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to their own bodies and autonomy. Resources in the Episode California VOCA Funding Advocacy https://www.cpedv.org/voca-funding-advocacy California VOCA Alliance https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bHy24HKsyVC0Sth0fM666Y188_xDVwqZ/edit UN Secretary-General's statement on domestic violence during COVID-19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJgVTeZrWLk&ab_channel=UnitedNationsinIndia Maitri VOCA Advocacy in VALOR US Platform in 2022 https://www.facebook.com/reel/2310663309127820

Welcome to Policy Matters: A quarterly presentation from Maitri Policy Advocacy, where we discuss public policies that are at the heart of shaping the way prevention, intervention, and overall attention to domestic violence within our communities. In our first presentation, we look at the medical mandate of reporting domestic violence that has been in the minds of survivors and advocates alike for a long time seeking to change the law. Joining us for the conversation, are Chris Negris, the Associate Director of Public Policy Strategies at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and Anisa Ali, Program Manager of Health at Futures without Violence. This discussion was led by Smitha Chandrasekhar, Smitha Chandrasekhar is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Biology. She is currently on the pre-med track and intends to focus on a career in women’s reproductive health and oncology. Smitha has been volunteering with Maitri for almost a year and is deeply invested in promoting the rights of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to their own bodies and autonomy. Chris Negri (he/him) is the Associate Director of Public Policy Strategies at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. Working with Partnership staff, members, and allied organizations, he hopes to contribute to policy victories that fund prevention work, improve the lives of survivors, and address critical problems such as the financial and housing insecurity that survivors often face. He is particularly passionate about and dedicated to working on child welfare issues, mindful of the harm that the child welfare system often inflicts on children and families affected by domestic violence, particularly youth of color and LGBTQ+ young people. More About Chris :https://www.cpedv.org/profile/chris-negri Anisa Ali believes that all survivors deserve access to trauma-informed, culturally responsive health care and that health settings can be an important place of support for survivors. As a Program Manager at FUTURES, Anisa provides training and technical assistance for the National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, including on the Campus Leadership Program, the Survivor Leadership Cohort, and California state policy work. She was a fellow for the Solís Policy Institute-State, through the Women’s Foundation of California. Anisa earned her MA in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her undergraduate degrees in International Studies and Spanish from Virginia Tech. More About Anisa: https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/anisa-ali-14/ Resources from the Episode: AB 3127 Factsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pFlrrOX3bbmuM8BqwFaMTN5UvjsNNYDN/view Should California doctors report domestic abuse to the police? Here’s how physician lawmakers voted: https://calmatters.org/health/2024/05/california-doctor-domestic-violence-reporting/

Statistics suggest that marital rape happens in 10-14% of all California marriages. However, the silence surrounding marital rape leaves many victims unaware that they can seek help. In this episode of “Between Friends” Zakia Afrin and Indira Chakravorty discuss Indira’s Article on Marital rape as a tool for domestic violence in the recently published “Khadr Dhare Ghor”/ an edited book of essays on Domestic violence published in Kolkata Book Fair, 2023. পরিসংখ্যান বলে, কালিফরনিয়ায় শতকরা ১০ থেকে ১৪ টি দাম্পত্য সম্পর্কে যৌন নির্যাতন ঘটে থাকে। তবু এই বিষয়ে রাখ ঢাক থাকায় অনেকে জানেন না, সাহায্য পেতে হলে কি করতে হবে। এই নিয়ে কথোপকথন রইল আমাদের এবারের পর্বে। Zakia Afrin is the Director of Survivor Advocacy at Maitri. Indira Chakravorty, Author, co-founder of Daya-Houston and Saheli Houston; and volunteer at Maitri. --------------------- Useful resources: Danger Assessment Toolhttps://www.dangerassessment.org/.../DA_NewScoring_2019.pdf Marital Rape Incident in Bangladesh https://www.thedailystar.net/.../marital-rape-killed... 498A of the Indian Penal Code https://indiankanoon.org/doc/538436/ Maitri Discussion on Domestic Violence deaths in the South Asian community https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AtE6X0aAVM&t=0s No means No Campaign https://www.nomeansnoworldwide.org/Healthy Relationship and Power and Control Wheel; The South Asian Context https://www.facebook.com/maitribayarea/posts/pfbid031iDvU4181ix6HHLTDZuA1z2mm28NxRB53X92FzLu8dsnJUgPdm6k9SnAucScBW9Vl Reproductive Coercion https://www.thehotline.org/resources/reproductive-coercion/ This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org]

Presenting a special episode of the Maitri podcast in Punjabi! Join Maitri volunteers Davinder Kaur Atwal and Arvinder Dhalla as they engage in a profound conversation that challenges widely-held perceptions about domestic violence. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in breaking the stigma surrounding domestic violence, supporting survivors, and fostering a community culture that does not tolerate abuse. Don't miss this enlightening and empowering conversation! Gain valuable insights and prepare yourself for informed discussions on this crucial issue so that together, we can end domestic violence in our community This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org Host: Nandini Ray Conversation: Davinder Kaur Atwal and Arvinder Dhalla

Are South Asian youth comfortable sharing their dating experiences with their parents? Do they receive enough guidance and support from their families in understanding the concept of healthy partner relationships? To discuss these questions we invited 3 South Asian youth community members. Hajra Usman, Sid Barathi, and Nidhi Satyagal joined us to shed light on the unique challenges South Asian youth face when navigating conversations about dating and relationships with their families. They also shared their recommendations on how both South Asian youth and adults can facilitate an environment of safe and open communication to have conversations on healthy partner relationships. Please listen to this insightful discussion and share this episode with your network. Feel free to share your recommendations with us at maitri@maitri.org. This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention. [www.sccendviolence.org] Our host: Nandini Ray has been involved in the gender justice movement since 2011. As the Sr. Manager of the Outreach & Prevention Program at Maitri, she leads community engagement and education efforts at Maitri, represents Maitri at community talks, panels, and in media, and provides culturally responsive training for DV advocates and service providers. Nandini curates, designs and hosts Maitri’s reputed Podcast series, “Between Friends” and leads social media outreach efforts. Hajra Usman is a clinical researcher assistant and a long-time Maitri volunteer. Sid Barathi is a recent graduate from UCSB. He currently works at a research lab and a clinic as a medical assistant. Nidhi Satyagal is the Prevention Program Associate at Maitri. She recently graduated from UCSB with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in History.

Mariam Azimi, a survivor with her courage and resilience not only paved her future with safety and dignity, but also gave support, guidance, and emotional confidence to many survivors that they needed after suffering from domestic violence. Mariam has been working relentlessly to break the stigma of divorce. In this Maitri podcast episode, Mariam shares her journey and hope. Mariam Azimi is the founder of Care2Elevate.space and established CircleofsiSTARhood (https://www.facebook.com/circleofsiSTARhood/about_details.)

In this episode, Flavia Agnes joined us to share her journey from a survivor to a trailblazer. Flavia Agnes is a women’s rights advocate, legal scholar, and one of the central figures of the women’s movement in India. Her own experience with domestic violence inspired her to become a women's rights lawyer. As co-founder of MAJLIS, a legal and cultural resource center in Mumbai, India, her primary engagement has been to provide quality legal services to women and children. **About Flavia Agnes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavia_Agnes **About Majlis: https://majlislaw.com/about/ Learn about Maitri: www.maitri.org This project was made possible by funding provided by the County of Santa Clara Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention: https://desj.sccgov.org/ogbvp