This handbook is designed to be used by advocates and professionals who work with those who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. It provides some basic information on how to understand culture and begin the process of challenging oneself to become more aware of the ways in which culture impacts our work and the lives of those who are victims.
Advocates and professionals are well aware of some of the struggles one can encounter when working with victims who appear different. The handbook gives some guidance on how to understand the complex ways in which people respond to intimate violence. In simple terms, the handbook outlines some basic ways in which to begin the process of becoming aware on both an individual and institutional basis. Neither of these by themselves can lead to empowerment of survivors. Therefore, the handbook stresses the importance of reaching out to and working collaboratively with diverse communities so that the issues of domestic and sexual violence can be owned by one and all.
Topic: Dynamics, Culture, & Safety
Materials and various tools and best practices regarding dynamics, culture, and safety.
Narrow your search:
- Dynamics of Violence Against Immigrant Women and Children
- Interviewing & Safety Planning
- State STOP FVPSA VOCA Administrators
- Demographics
- Best Practices and Collaborations
- Migration, Acculturation, Integration Immigrant Women
- Workplace Sexual Assault
- Dynamics of Sexual Assault
- Trauma-Informed Assistance
- Dynamics of Stalking
- Domestic Violence
- Child Abuse/Incest
- Physical Health
- LGBTQ+
- Adoption
- Underserved Populations
- Abusive Speech and the First Amendment
- Economic Abuse
- Duration Residency Requirement
- Sexual Assault Defamation Liablity
- Mental Health
[pdf] Calls to Police and Police Response: A Case Study of Latina Immigrant women in the USA (+)
This paper addresses the experiences of battered immigrant Latina women when contacting police for assistance in attempting to reduce, end, or flee violence. The research consists of interviews with 230 battered immigrant Latina women experiencing violence. The analysis examined the factors contributing to the extent, frequency, and readiness of the women to call the police. The police response to and the effect of seeking help by battered immigrant Latina women on arrest of the perpetrator were also explored. The results show that the number of times and the frequency of contacting the police among battered immigrant Latina women was far less than would be expected based on their experienced with intimate partner violence. The factors which led women to call the police were mostly related to the stability of their immigration status, their children’s exposure to violence, the women’s region of origin and the frequency of domestic violence. The police response to this group of women demonstrates a lack of cultural sensitivity, and produces concerns regarding language accessibility and low rates of arrest. The paper concludes with recommendations about the need to better incorporate immigration as an additional factor in understanding intimate partner violence and help-seeking from police.
[pdf] Lifetime Trauma and Victimization History (LTVH) Instrument (+)
This tool can help mental health professionals best assess the trauma a client has faced. Source: Widom, C.S., Dutton, M.A., Czaja, S.J., & DuMont, K.A. (2005) The development and validation of a new instrument to assess lifetime trauma and victimization history. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18(5), 519-532.
[pdf] Advocacy to Improve Services for Battered Migrant and Immigrant Women Living in Rural Communities (+)
This manual aims to enhance the ability of women in rural areas who are survivors of domestic violence to become leaders against domestic violence in their communities. Trained survivors are effective advocates who can educate others about domestic violence and can provide advocacy to ensure that battered farm worker women can access the broad range of legal and social services available to help battered women. This advocacy and support is needed to ensure that police, courts, shelters, public benefits, immigration and health care systems do not fail farm worker battered women who are legally entitled to help. Most employees working in these systems are unaware of the special legal protections available to battered immigrant women and farm worker women.
**NOTE: This manual has not been updated to include law changes occurring since the manual was first published in 2004. Please see other materials in this web library for up to date information on immigration, public benefits, health care and legal services assistance and relief for immigrant survivors.
[pdf] Improve Immigrant Victim Safety, Gain Protection from Deportation: Practice Tip – File Now, Get RFE-d Later (+)
An overview of ways to improve immigrant victim’s safety and gain protection from deportation.
[pdf] Power and Control Tactics Used Against Immigrant Women (+)
Provides an list of examples of the ways abusers of battered immigrants use power, control and coercive control against immigrant domestic violence victims. Includes examples of immigration related abuse and using culture and limited English proficiency against the victim.
[pdf] Battered Immigrant Women’s Willingness to Call for Help and Police Response (+)
This article examines the barriers that battered immigrant women face when contacting the police for assistance in stopping or escaping intimate partner violence.
[pdf] Helping Mothers and Their Children Involved With the Child Protection System (+)
Many women who have experienced domestic violence are also involved with the child protection system (CPS). Most are poor, and a disproportionate number are women of color, both immigrant and U.S. born. Being involved with CPS can be frightening, overwhelming and confusing for them. And as an advocate, you may feel as helpless as the women you are trying to assist. This guidebook is intended to underscore the importance of your work, provide tips for how to improve your practice in this area, and inspire you to do what you do best-understand a woman’s situation and help her navigate the road to safety, well-being, and self-sufficiency.
[pdf] Violence Against Immigrant Women and Systemic Responses: An Exploratory Study (November 14, 2003) (+)
This report presents the experiences of battered immigrant women who have encountered intimate and family violence and examines the common and unique features of abuse experienced by immigrant women relative to non-immigrant women. It highlights the dynamics of the abuse, the coping mechanisms immigrant women adopt, and their help-seeking behavior. It describes their appeals to the justice system and to legal and social service providers, with a special focus on the way in which immigration status and domestic violence interact within these institutional spheres. The report also details the justice system response to battered immigrant women from the victims/survivors’ perspectives and from the perspectives of those who attend to their needs–service providers and domestic violence, family, and immigration lawyers.
[pdf] Barriers to the Safety of U-Visa Protection: Immigrant Crime Victims at Risk (+)
U Visa victim story collection illustrating the need for U visa protections. Developed and submitted to the Department of Homeland Security in efforts to secure issuance of U visa regulations.
[pdf] Immigrant South Asian Women at Greater Riskfor Injury forIntimate Partner Violence (+)
Study that assessed the relationship between immigration-related factors and intimate partner violence among a sample of South Asian women residing in the United States.
[pdf] Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001 (+)
Statistics and information regarding intimate partner violence from Bureau of Justice Statistics.
[pdf] Ensuring Fairness and Justice for Noncitizen Survivors of Domestic Violence (+)
This article will provide a comprehensive overview of issues facing the courts when noncitizens are petitioners, respondents, or both in domestic violence cases, including a discussion of findings that can be made for immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
[pdf] Primary Care PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD) (+)
The PC-PTSD is a 4-item screen that was designed for use in primary care and other medical settings and is currently used to screen for PTSD in veterans at the VA.
[pdf] Women Immigrants and Domestic Violence (+)
Paper presented at a symposium convened by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars entitled Women’s Rights in Theory and Practice: Employment, Violence and Poverty, May 21-22, 2002. Discussing the demographics of immigrant women in the United States and the importance that services providers, advocates and attorneys learn how to provide culturally appropriate assistance to diverse immigrant victims, the significance of fear of deportation as a barrier, and the importance of identifying and working with survivors the continuum of violence immigrant survivors experience.
[pdf] The Roles of Culture, Context, and Legal Immigrant Status on Intimate Partner Violence (March, 2002) (+)
Intimate partner violence against immigrant women is at epidemic proportions, but research has only recently begun to address the concern. A review of the legal, medical, and social science research literature reveals little data, but that which exist demonstrate that immigrant women’s cultures, contexts, and legal status (a) increase vulnerability for abuse, (b) are used by batterers to control and abuse immigrant women, and (c) create barriers to women seeking and receiving help. Data also reveal that immigrant culture and context offer resiliency factors through which programs and policy can be used to better serve these populations.
[pdf] Crossing the Threshold to Safety: Stories of Immigrant Crime Victims Who Will Benefit From Attaining U-visas (+)
Stories of victims who will benefit from U visa protections. These stories were collected as part of the effort to secure regulations implementing the U visa protections that became law as part of VAWA 2005.
[pdf] Improving Accessibility of Your Program’s Services to Battered Immigrant Women (+)
Lack of information about and access to services to assist battered women is one of the major obstacles battered immigrant women encounter when they consider fleeing a violent relationship. For immigrant women who do not speak English, communities without bilingual services are communities without any services. This tool outlines steps programs can take to improve accessibility of the program’s services for immigrant and limited English proficient survivors.
[pdf] Lifetime Prevalence of Violence Against Latina Immigrants: Legal and Policy Implications (+)
This article examines the prevalence of various forms of domestic violence experienced by Latina immigrant women, the nature of the battering and extreme cruelty they experience, and public policy implications of the findings. The this research found high levels of intimate partner abuse experienced by immigrant Latinas and publishes data about immigrant victims in married to citizens and lawful permanent residents that Congress relied upon in when creating VAWA self-petitioning in 1994. Includes a discussion of immigration related abuse, details about the types of physical, sexual and emotional abuse victims suffered, describes the types of emotional abuse that are significantly related to physical and sexual abuse, and provides empirical data documenting several of the factors that in and of themselves or collectively constitute “extreme cruelty” under U.S. immigration laws.
[pdf] Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence (+)
A research report on the findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey on the extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence in the United States. The National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cosponsored the survey through a grant to the Center for Policy Research.
[pdf] Characteristics of Help-Seeking Behaviors, Resources, and Service Needs of Battered Immigrant Latinas: Legal and Policy Implications (Summer, 2000) (+)
This briefing paper examines the obstacles for battered Latina women to preventing or escaping abuse and the services which are actually used to escape abuse. The paper surveys the literature and then explores the results of a survey designed and conducted by AYUDA among Latinas in Washington, DC.
[pdf] Overcoming Cultural Barriers in Working With Immigrant Battered Women (+)
Describes cultural barriers battered immigrants face when seeking help from advocates and attorneys and tips for using open-ended questions and good listening skills. By creating an environment in which each battered immigrant feels safe to describe their needs, concerns and fears from withing the victim’s own cultural context advocates and attorneys can use an approach that will be effective in serving immigrant victims from varying cultures, immigration statuses and linguistic backgrounds.
[pdf] Comments to LSC Interim Rule on Restrictions on Legal Assistance to Immigrants (+)
Ayuda’s comments on interim Legal Services Corporation (“LSC”) regulations implementing the Kennedy Amendment in the Appropriations Bill of Fiscal Year 1997, which allows LSC to provide assistance to immigrant victims of domestic violence using non-LSC funds in matters “directly related” to prevent, or obtain relief from, battery or extreme cruelty. The comments provide a detailed discussion of the types of legal assistance that should be considered “directly related” to the abuse in the final regulation.
[pdf] Rights and Options for Battered Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Women (September 12, 2015) (+)
This 54-page brochure provides a broad overview of the legal rights of immigrant victims of domestic violence.
[pdf] How to Protect Yourself and Your Children From Domestic Violence: Safety Planning for Immigrant and Refugee Women (+)
Information for safety planning including emergency measures, safety for the children, safety at home, safety at work, information on economic assistance, general safety tips, legal steps, immigration options, etc. (In English and Spanish)
[pdf] Building Comprehensive Sexual Assault Services Programs (+)
This document was produced by the Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative, a project of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). It details the various types of sexual assault service programs.
[pdf] Tips for Conducting a Victim-Centered Intake (+)
Helpful tips for conducting a victim-centered intake created by the Victim Rights Law Center.
[pdf] What Is Workplace Sexual Violence (+)
A fact sheet on workplace sexual violence.
[pdf] Dreams Lost, Dreams Found: Undocumented Women in the Land of Opportunity (+)
This study was designed to identify problems and social service needs of undocumented Filipina, Latina, and Chinese women in the Bay Area. Undocumented women in the Bay Area are a growing and neglected population in need of services. This study examines the factors causing increased migration by women to the U.S., and how these factors influence women’s lives once they are here. Findings of this study reveal the economic hardship of undocumented women and their families and provide insight into immigrant women’s experiences with domestic violence. This survey was the precursor to the survey conducted in the early 1990s by Ayuda.