BagongPinay - Pinay Ngayon (Filipina Today) 2002/ Domestic Violence in API Communities by Joann Natalia Aquino

Domestic Violence in the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Community
by Joann Natalia Aquino

"Domestic violence is a serious crime and does not discriminate. It happens in every type of relationship. It happens to people of every race and economic background. It occurs every minute of each day. It happens to children, teenagers, and adults, though women are most commonly the victims of violence. Domestic violence cuts across all lines of ethnicity, nationality, language, culture, economics, sexual orientation, physical ability, education level, and religion, and affects women and children from all walks of life..."

In United States, a woman is beaten every 9 seconds. It is also estimated that 1.5 to 3.9 million women are physically abused by their partners each year.

Domestic violence is a pattern of intimidating and coercive behavior used to establish power and control over another person through manipulation and fear in the relationship. This behavior often includes the threat and use of violence. Domestic violence is not consensual and the acts are committed by both adults and adolescents.

Domestic violence is a serious crime and does not discriminate. It happens in every type of relationship. It happens to people of every race and economic background. It occurs every minute of each day. It happens to children, teenagers, and adults, though women are most commonly the victims of violence. Domestic violence cuts across all lines of ethnicity, nationality, language, culture, economics, sexual orientation, physical ability, education level, and religion, and affects women and children from all walks of life.

Domestic violence consists of physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, and emotional abuse. Acts of domestic violence is commonly categorized into one or more of the following areas: physical abuse - the physical attacks or aggressive behavior which can range from hitting the victim to murder; sexual abuse - physical attack by the abuser is often accompanied by or ends in sexual violence where the woman is forced to have sexual intercourse with her abuser or take part in unwanted sexual activities; and psychological and emotional abuse - the actions can include constant verbal abuse, harassment, extreme possessiveness, isolating the woman from her friends and family, deprivation of physical and economic resources, and damaging of her personal property. Then over time, the pattern of behavior and the violence often escalates.

During the last decade, domestic violence has emerged as a crucial issue in the Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities in the United States. The domestic violence amongst API’s is often underreported which reflects the lack of statistics for the Asian and Pacific Islander community. The statistics are even more underestimated amongst immigrant women and children because of language, cultural, social, and other barriers that they face.

Today, women and children constitute approximately two-thirds of all legal immigrants in America. Often, immigrant women suffer multiple burdens of discrimination based on their sex, race, and immigration status. Increasing evidence indicates that a large number of immigrant women are ensnared and isolated in violent relationships and many are afraid to seek help. According to the report from the 1999 National Violence Against Women Survey, API women are the least likely to formally report any kind of physical victimization.

Several barriers for immigrant women in domestic violence situations may be: Some women may be sponsored by their husband or husband’s family; therefore she may fear deportation from reporting the abuse. The abuser may also threaten to withdraw her petition to legalize her immigration status. Women who are limited or non-English speaking also have less access to cultural and linguistic appropriate services and are further isolated.

The condition is even harder for undocumented immigrants. For undocumented women lacking proper legal documentations, the abuser may repeatedly threaten to report her status to the INS, threaten to take her children away, or withdraw her petition for legal permanent residency. Undocumented women may also lack economic means and often face stricter immigration laws. In many cases, many abused women in this situation are less familiar with the laws, their rights, and with the legal process. However, immigration laws passed in the previous years such as the 1994 Violence Against Women Act protects immigrant women involved in domestic violence against deportation proceedings allowing them to apply for their own petitions for legal residency.

In the State of Washington, the Washington State Domestic Violence Fatality Review accounted a total of 205 people murdered between 1997 and 2001 in domestic violence-related homicide incidents. 58% of which the homicide victims are women killed by their current or former partners. In 2000, the Washington State Police Departments responded to 51,550 domestic violence calls that include homicides, rapes, assaults, robberies, and arsons. The domestic violence agencies have also been diligently advocating for victims of abuse. In 2001 alone, domestic violence programs in Washington State served 25,031 adults and children, and provided emergency shelter to a total of 6,727 battered women and children. Nonetheless, due to space and funding limitations, domestic violence programs had to refuse 32,957 requests for shelter. The Washington State Domestic Violence hotline also received 27,994 calls last year, making the needs for domestic violence programs even more essential in the community.

The changes and reduction in the state, county and city funding for social services and domestic violence agencies have also taken their toll on domestic violence programs. As a result, the struggle and pressure for fundraising, funding from private donors, and other charitable contributions face our community organizations in these difficult times when resource dollars are shrinking and the need for the services are continuously escalating.
In the last decade, the API community has become progressively more aware of the growing problem of domestic violence in women and children. Many high profile domestic violence homicides also drew public attention while at the same time, the reporting of domestic violence and service use in the API community still remains undercounted.

These are critical times we live in. The domestic violence statistics are rising in our community. As community members, each of us has a responsibility to address violence within our families and in the community. Each of us has the accountability to learn more about domestic violence, to teach others what we have learned, to advocate for the victims needing help, and also to be keenly aware who needs assistance, especially within our own families.

Our strength lies in working together to fight against domestic violence in our community. If you or someone you know is involved in an abusive relationship and is affected by domestic violence, please break the silence and contact a domestic violence agency in your area.

In contrast, if you believe that you are being abusive or commit violence to someone you love and you want to do something about it, or if you know someone who wants to stop being abusive or violent, please contact a Domestic Violence Intervention Program for Batterers near you to receive help.

*** Domestic violence agencies for API women in Washington State:

Asian & Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center (APIWFSC), P.O. Box 14047, Seattle, WA, 98114. Contact: (206) 467-9976, e-mail: apiwfsc@apialliance.org

Chaya, P.O. Box 12917, Seattle, WA, 98111. Help line (206) 325-0325 or toll free 1-800-92CHAYA, business line (206) 568-7576, e-mail: chaya@oz.net

Refugee Women’s Alliance Domestic Violence Program, PO Box 28112, Seattle, WA, 98118. Contact: (206) 721-3846

Korean Women’s Association Domestic Violence Program, 125 East 96th Street, Tacoma, WA, 98445. Contact: (253) 535-4202

Chinese Information and Service Center, 409 Maynard Ave. S, #203, Seattle, WA, 98104. Contact: (206) 624-5633

International Community Health Services Domestic Violence Program, 720- 8th Ave. S, Seattle, WA, 98104. Contact: (206) 461-3617

For more domestic violence services in Washington State, please call the 24-hour statewide hotline at toll free 1-800-562-6025 or the 24-hour crisis support hotline at toll free 1-800-435-7276.

*** Domestic violence agencies for API women in New York/New Jersey area:

New York Asian Women’s Center, 39 Bowery, Box 375, New York, NY, 10002. Contact: 24-hour hotline: 1-888-888-7702, (212) 732-5230, e-mail: contact@nyawc.org

Sakhi for South Asian Women, P.O.Box 20208, Greeley Square Sation, New York, NY 10001. Contact: hotline - 212-868-6741, office- 212-714-9153, e-mail: sakhiny@aol.com

Korean American Family Services Center New York, Manhattan location: P.O. Box 20202, New York, NY, 10001. Contact: 24-hour hotline (212) 465-0664 , (212) 279-6568, e-mail: contact@kafsc.org. Queens location: 136-25 37th Ave #401, Flushing, NY, 11354. Contact: 24-hour hotline (212) 465-0664, (718) 460-3800.

Manavi, P.O. Box 3103, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901. Contact: (732) 435-1414, e-mail: manavi@worldnet.att.net

*** For other domestic violence organizations in other cities and countries, please check your local listings for domestic violence agencies in your area that can assist you.

If this is a life-threatening situation, please directly call 911 (or the emergency number in the country you’re residing) to receive immediate help and/or for medical attention.

(Republished with permission from the author. Article originally published at Asian American Journal: International Examiner on October 2002. )

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