SWOP Behind Bars Advocacy from the Margins

Bad Girls of the Bible: Bathsheba – The Silenced Survivor Who Changed History

Say the name Bathsheba, and most people picture a beautiful woman bathing on a rooftop, luring poor King David into sin. She’s been cast for centuries as the biblical seductress - the woman who tempted a man after God’s own heart.
But let’s be clear: Bathsheba didn’t tempt anyone. She didn’t lure anyone. She didn’t even have a choice.
Her story begins as one of survival in the face of royal abuse and historical silencing. But it doesn’t end there. Over time, Bathsheba becomes something the storytellers never wanted you to see: a woman of political power who shaped Israel’s monarchy and secured her son Solomon’s throne.

December 17 SWOP Behind Bars 3

December 17 is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

December 17 SWOP Behind Bars 2

December 17 is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

December 17 SWOP Behind Bars 1

December 17 is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, a global day of remembrance and action. At SWOP Behind Bars, we honor those lost to violence and fight for the safety and dignity of those still with us through our national hotline, reentry programs, and peer-led support networks.

Weekend Hot Takes: The Hunger Games

When the government shuts down, it’s not just offices that close - it’s the safety nets. Millions of people are sitting in their kitchens, staring at empty cabinets and “temporarily unavailable” messages on benefit portals. SNAP, the program that keeps children fed and families barely afloat, has been frozen in bureaucratic limbo once again - no warning, no contingency plan, just silence and shame. When the government stops, hunger doesn’t. It gets meaner. While systems glitch and offices go dark, families find less in their cabinets than yesterday. School lunch programs tighten rules. Food pantries run out before the line moves. And somewhere, someone still insists the “economy is doing fine.”

Bad Girls of the Bible: The Samaritan Woman at the Well – The Outsider Who Spoke Truth

If you grew up in church, you probably remember the Samaritan woman from John 4—the one who meets Jesus at a well, has “five husbands,” and is living with a man who isn’t her husband. Cue the Sunday School whisper: immoral… loose… fallen.
For centuries, she’s been branded the small-town scandal, the woman with a past. The sermons practically write themselves: Don’t be like her, girls.
But here’s the kicker: the text itself never calls her sinful. Not once.

Bad Girls of the Bible: Mary Magdalene – The Woman Who Wasn’t What They Said She Was

When people hear the name Mary Magdalene, the mental Rolodex usually lands on one of three words: prostitute, fallen, sinner. For nearly two thousand years, her reputation has been dragged through the mud by pulpits, paintings, and pop culture.
Here’s the kicker: the Bible never calls her a prostitute. Not once.

A Season of Solidarity - What if Your Giving Ended Violence?

What if the power to end violence wasn’t locked inside a politician’s office or a police budget - but sitting right in your hands?
Giving Tuesday is here again, and everywhere you look, nonprofits are asking for support. But this year, we’re asking you to look deeper. To ask what kind of giving truly ends harm. Because not all “help” helps - and not all funding heals.