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Entity offers volunteer safety tips for girls.

You’re busy spooning soup into plastic bowls when you feel it: a strange hand squeezing somewhere it definitely wasn’t invited. By the time you turn around, the hand’s owner has already disappeared. You think about reporting it to your supervisor, but know that you probably won’t. This isn’t the first time you’ve felt violated while volunteering at the local food bank – and it probably won’t be your last.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 28% of American women did volunteer work in 2015. As many women have discovered, however, volunteer work has a dark side. Here is what you need to know about common dangers for female volunteers – and tips on how to stay safe when volunteering.

Common Dangers

1 You re na ve or unprepared

Maybe you’re just a college student constantly being told to “give back” to your community – without being given any of the safety tips needed when you do volunteer. Or, in the case of volunteering abroad, you could be one of the Peace Corps female volunteers who, according to Literally Darling, often receive very little training. Peace Corps volunteers may also not be familiar with their host country’s attitude towards women. Whether you’re volunteering five miles or five hundred thousand miles from home, make sure you’re equally prepared to meet friendly people…and not so friendly folks.

2 You re outnumbered and isolated

If you’re one of the only female volunteers in an area – local or international – that you’re not familiar with, the odds of a safe time volunteering are against you. In the case of sexual assault or harassment when volunteering abroad, having other volunteers – especially male ones – nearby can be essential. As Ryan Louis Cooper explained on his blog in 2011: “I am constantly thankful for being male in South America. The way women are treated here is nothing short of grotesque…[and] I don’t even witness the worst of it, because (as the single girls will tell you), even the presence of another male volunteer drastically reduces the attention.”

Maybe you feel entirely safe volunteering at your local library – and you might be. But making sure you have another volunteer or male friend close by can’t hurt!

3 You don t have a game plan when things go wrong

As one female college volunteer discovered, a naïve mindset often goes hand-in-hand with feeling “frozen” if something does go wrong. As a student, Justine continually heard encouragement to “give back to the community,” but she never heard about possible dangers. When one man inappropriately touched her while she worked at a local food bank, she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to complain to a superior and was still just trying to be nice.

Hopefully, when and if you volunteer, nothing will go wrong. You’ll help others and feel good about doing it. But in the case that someone doesn’t respect your personal boundaries, make sure you have a battle plan, such as the name of a superior to talk to. Otherwise, you might end up like Justine and just stop volunteering at the place instead.

So else can a gal do to stay safe while donating work and time?

Check out these safety tips

4 Research, research, research

Before you sign up for a volunteer opportunity, scope out what, where and when you’ll actually be working. If you’re volunteering abroad, make sure you know about your destination’s culture, its common treatment of women and the details of your program. Be equally diligent if you’re only working a few blocks away. Case in point: while volunteering, I once got the shift times wrong. As a result, I had to wait in a bad part of town for me Dad to pick me up nearly half an hour after the rest of the volunteers left. The more you know about your volunteer work, the smoother – and safer – it will go.

5 Bring a friend or make one early on

As hinted at above, sometimes having a male friend in a female-unfriendly environment can make your time volunteering safer and more enjoyable. Don’t see any male escorts nearby? Then make volunteering once a week your new girls’ night. You’ll enjoy having a friend to talk to and there’s a reason the phrase “safety in numbers” has been repeated for centuries!

Even if you aren’t best friends with any of your fellow volunteers, try to make a pact with an acquaintance to watch each other’s backs. Or, in the case of volunteering abroad, follow Ms. Career Girl’s advice and stay in contact with family or friends from home. The bottom line? When you volunteer your time, don’t do it alone.

6 Establish your body boundaries

This doesn’t only mean deciding what “good” or “bad” touches are for you and in your cultural context. As Ms. Career Girl explains, you should also be careful to pick your battles. Decide what actions you could look past – such as disrespectful looks or comments – and what you would need to defend against or report. While it may seem unnecessary to define your boundaries, it could help you view the adverse situations logically.

7 Speak up

Finally, in the case that something does happen, speak up. In 2011, The New York Times reported the increasing numbers of female Peace Corps volunteers speaking out about their sexual assault. Jess Smochek was one of them, sharing that she felt equally devastated by the treatment from Peace Corps officials as the rape itself. While its unclear if legislation will be passed to require sexual assault response teams in the Peace Corps, the publicity has at least raised awareness of a prevalent problem for female volunteers.

The point? Speak up if something happens. Tell your supervisor, your friends, your program manager – anyone. Because speaking up is about more than just protecting and defending yourself. It’s also about making volunteering opportunities safer for the women after you.

 

 

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