I also proudly co-sponsored another bill that passed on Tuesday, Intro 1297A, which closes a loophole in the Gender-Motivated Violence Act and ensures that survivors can hold institutions that ignored, enabled, or covered-up abuse liable in civil court. This means that survivors can seek justice, accountability, and reparations from schools, hospitals, and religious institutions that perpetuated their abuse.
These victories build on years of organizing and legislation I’ve championed alongside incredible activists and organizations. Long before I joined the Council, I volunteered with Sakhi for South Asian Survivors, a frontline organization supporting South Asian women escaping and recovering from domestic violence and advancing a survivor-led gender justice movement. As Director of Organizing for former Council Member Brad Lander, I worked closely with groups like Sakhi, Sanctuary for Families, New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, New York Asian Women’s Center, and others—partnerships I’ve continued to strengthen and fund in District 39. I often helped connect women who spoke little or no English with culturally competent, multilingual services, recognizing how immigrant survivors face additional cultural, linguistic, and legal-status barriers. The New York Times highlighted one such District 39 case in 2018, including my role in providing constituent support. You can read their coverage on this issue within the Muslim immigrant community.
In March of last year, the Lock Change Law that I authored, Local Law 45, was enacted. This law codified the Home+ program, which helps survivors remain safely in their homes by providing free door and window lock changes. It ensures that no survivor has to face the impossible choice between staying in an unsafe home or risking homelessness. In its first nine months, the program reached 1,182 survivors in need.
As co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, I also championed and secured additional funding last year to expand Home+ to meet growing demand and ensure no one is priced out of safety. You can learn more about the vital work of Home+ staff in this video from last year’s budget campaign.
Alongside this legislative work, I have also expanded funding for frontline organizations supporting survivors of gender-based and domestic violence in District 39, including groups serving immigrant women and LGBTQ youth.
Domestic and gender-based violence occurs in our most intimate and secluded spaces. We have a responsibility to support survivors and end violence with strong policy and robust resources—recognizing how abuse is intertwined with economic precarity, immigration status, language access, and homelessness. To build a feminist New York City committed to care, dignity, and safety for all New Yorkers, we must support consistent community-led, city-funded services to ensure the safety and stability of survivors.
For more than a decade, I have worked to help survivors leave abusive situations and to expand the City’s investment in frontline organizations. I will continue to push for City government to utilize every tool available to address domestic and gender-based violence and to protect the New Yorkers most at risk.
