Joya Taft-Dick

Bio

Joya is originally from Vermont, but grew up moving around overseas as the daughter of UN World Food Program employee. She has spent the last 9 years working on, writing about, or studying human security, development and violence prevention, all with a focus on gender. Joya received her bachelors’ degree from Middlebury College, where she double-majored in Religion and French, and holds a MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, with a research focus on gender-based violence in conflict settings.
In Australia, Aboriginal Women Are 80 Times More Likely to Experience Violence
By Joya Taft-Dick
An article published by Perth News on Monday explains that Aboriginal women in Australia are 80 times more likely to be physically and sexually assaulted than non-indigenous Australians. Not twice as likely, or 10 times as likely — but 80 times more…
Peace Corps Equity Act Would Rightly Give Corps Volunteers Access to Total Health Care, Including Abortions
By Joya Taft-Dick
April was "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" and here at PolicyMic, a series was dedicated to that very topic. Sexual assault was addressed in many of its’ complexities — from prevention, to reporting and health outcomes — and in many of its contexts,…
Men Can Stop Rape: Engaging Men is Crucial to Ending Sexual Violence
By Joya Taft-Dick
If you attend the kinds of events I find myself at — poetry events addressing violence against women, panel discussions on gender-based violence, or film screenings on rape in the military — you will often notice either the complete lack, or the…
How Social Media Can Help End Rape Across the Globe
By Joya Taft-Dick
When we hear about mass acts of sexual violence in conflict, it is usually well after the fact, when little can be done to prevent or directly respond to it. The numbers collected are almost always well below the reality. They often remain just…
Immigration Reform 2013: What About the Growing Number Of Female Immigrants?
By Joya Taft-Dick
Just as the words "agriculture" or "farming" still tend to conjure up images of men — despite the fact that women largely make up the backbone of this industry worldwide —  so too does immigration. As Pramila Jayapal pointed out recently in an…
10-Year Iraq War Anniversary: Honor Female Service Members, Veterans
By Joya Taft-Dick
This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the Iraq War. The news coming out of Iraq today is far from cheerful, as bomb blasts and sectarian violence continue. What is also worth serious consideration on this anniversary is the fate of the men, and…
Kenya Elections 2013: 8 Rape Survivors Suing Government For Inaction
By Joya Taft-Dick
On Kenyan Election Day, many are apprehensively remembering the violence that took place during the last election in 2007, which claimed the lives of over 1,000 people. However, in yet another bold move that seems to underscore a growing global…
'Girl Rising' Movie Review: Selena Gomez and Meryl Streep Join Fight For Female Education
By Joya Taft-Dick
On February 25, the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., held a preview screening of the new documentary film, Girl Rising, produced by the 10X10 Campaign. While they showed only 30 minutes of what is a full-length movie, it was more than…
World Day of Social Justice: Ending Income Inequality is Our Biggest Challenge
By Joya Taft-Dick
In November of 2007, the United Nations declared February 20 as the World Day of Social Justice.  According to their website, "Observance of World Day of Social Justice should support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication,…
One Billion Rising Protests: Washington Becomes Focal Point Of Global Fight Against Women's Violence
By Joya Taft-Dick
Yesterday was the global roll-out of One Billion Rising – an event created by the organization VDay to encourage people around the world to “walk out, dance, rise up and demand an end to violence against women.” The "one billion" represents the…
Syrian Civil War: Sexual Violence Against Men and Women is Widespread in Conflict
By Joya Taft-Dick
Unfortunately, it is not surprising to read that accounts of sexual violence are emerging from the ongoing conflict in Syria. According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), rape is not only pervasive, but it is also a driving factor behind…