Joan Dawson has a master’s in public health and a strong interest in women’s human rights. She has worked and volunteered with both domestic and international groups to help raise awareness of violence against women. Joan has written letters to the editor, articles and a chapter for a book on this pressing problem. She sits on the board of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission to help victims of femicide in Guatemala, serves on the Saving Promise board to raise awareness of domestic violence in the US, and is involved in the world-wide Battered Mothers Custody Movement to end the injustice battered women face in family court.