“In the beginning, I was young … he was handsome. He
said I was beautiful, smart, worthy of love … made me
feel that way. And so we were married, walking joyfully
together down a church aisle, our union blessed by God. Then
came the angry words … the verbal tearing apart.
… Now I was made to feel ugly, unintelligent, unworthy
of any love, God’s or man’s. Next came the beatings …
unrelenting violence … unceasing pain. I shouldn’t
stay, but this is my husband … promised forever. He
says I deserve it … maybe I do … if I could
just be good. I feel so alone … doesn’t God hear me
when I cry out silently as I lie in bed each night?”
These words from a domestic violence victim open “When I Call
for Help,” a pastoral response to domestic violence against
women from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Every group of humanity experiences domestic violence,” said
Cathy Hassinger, diocesan Catholic Charities community
services director. While there is no conclusive study showing
domestic violence occurs more commonly in any particular
racial, ethnic or religious population, those who work with
victims (85 percent of whom are female) face unique
challenges assisting certain cultural groups. Hassinger said
this includes Latinos.
One challenge, she said, is cultural. In some cultures,
seeking help outside the family or cultural group is
considered shameful.
“(The victims) may want to show a good face to the community
and not bring attention to negative behavior,” said
Hassinger. Immigrant communities may feel particular pressure
to put on a good face to prevent anti-immigrant attitudes and
stereotyping.
Another challenge is overcoming differing cultural
perceptions of abuse. Domestic violence, at least certain
strains of it, may be acceptable in the perpetrator’s home
country. Even the victim herself may think it acceptable.
Though 160 countries now have legislation against domestic
violence, according to U.N. Women, an organization focused on
gender equality, enforcement of these laws is another matter.
A 2011 study from the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence
and Development cited El Salvador as the country with the
highest femicide rate in the world – despite legislation to
protect women. The Washington area has one of the largest
Salvadoran populations in the United States, with one-third
of the region’s Latino population claiming El Salvador as
their country of heritage. Hassinger said that some experts
point to machismo, an aggressive pride for masculinity that
often casts femininity as inferior, as the cultural impetus
for abusing or killing female partners.
Language barriers present another hurdle in assisting
victims. A victim who speaks Spanish exclusively may not know
her options because shelter fliers and pamphlets are not
always translated. She also may feel uncomfortable
approaching an office she assumes offers only English
services. But Hassinger said that in the urban and suburban
areas prevalent in the Arlington Diocese, many shelters offer
in-house Spanish language services. When in-house services
are not available, shelters use three-way language lines with
trained interpreters, allowing the client and social worker
to communicate with each other. Community interpreters may be
called upon for indigenous Latin American languages, such as
Mixtec or Quiché.
The fear of deportation – whether of the victim or the
perpetrator – poses another challenge. If the victim is
undocumented, the perpetrator may intimidate her into keeping
the abuse a secret by telling her he will report her to U.S.
Immigration Services if she calls the police. If the
perpetrator is the undocumented one, the victim may not
report him because she still loves him or relies on him for
financial support.
Hassinger believes that fear of deportation accounted for a
drop in the number of Latina clients at Bethany House, a
Christian women’s shelter in Fairfax, during her tenure as
executive director. Prior to Prince William County tightening
its immigration laws in 2007, about 30 percent of Bethany
House clients were Latina. After the reform, Hassinger said
the number fell to about 12 percent.
“There’s no way you could say that it was because the culture
had an extreme change of heart,” said Hassinger.
Hassinger said that the Violence Against Women Act is in
place to protect victims from deportation. Under VAWA, the
victim may be afforded special routes to legal immigration
status if she is married to her perpetrator. By completing
the VAWA petition, officially known as Form I-360
Self-Petition, the victim may apply for immigration status
for herself and her children without her husband’s knowledge.
In order to qualify, the victim must have experienced the
abuse while married and living in the United States with the
perpetrator. The petitioning process also requires submitting
evidence of abuse and often involves a review of the victim’s
criminal record, as well. In the Arlington Diocese, victims
may seek assistance with the VAWA petition from the legal
office of Catholic Charities Hogar Immigrant Services.
Regardless of a victim’s racial, ethnic or cultural
background, it can be difficult for her to leave her abuser,
said Hassinger.
“She may continue to feel affection and love for the abuser
and just wants the abuse to stop,” she said. Separating from
the perpetrator often requires making drastic financial
sacrifices, especially if he is the primary earner. Leaving
him can mean choosing homelessness and food insecurity and
possibly death. Hassinger added that 50 to 70 percent of
domestic violence-related murders occur after the victim
leaves home.
“My experience working with these women is that they are very
strong,” she said. “It is challenging to rebuild after abuse.
We have to recognize their resilience.”
Find out more
For a breakdown of VAWA requirements, go to
icwclaw.org/services-available/violence-against-women-act-vawa/.
To learn more about the diocese’s Catholic Charities Hogar
Immigrant Services, go to ccda.net/programs_hogarhispano.php.
Download the National Council for Catholic Women’s new
domestic violence resource guide in English or Spanish from
nccw.org/Public/News_and_Events/Domestic_Violence_Resource.aspx.
Stoddard can be reached at [email protected].
