NCJ Number
211967
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 11 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2005 Pages: 1441-1464
Date Published
November 2005
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study examined how the cultural context of intimate partner violence affected accessibility to mainstream services for one immigrant group, the Haitian women.
Abstract
Immigrant women in the United States are at great risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). However, little research has explored the nature, consequences, or meaning of domestic violence among the immigrant population. This qualitative study explored how one immigrant group, Haitian women, understand domestic violence within their own community, and how they themselves articulate their service needs. Fifteen qualitative interviews were conducted with three groups of service providers in the city and surrounding area. Tape-recorded interviews were conducted. Through coding, two broad categories emerged from the data: the nature and context of violence for Haitian immigrant women and perceptions of strengths and weaknesses of existing services. In exploring Haitian immigrant women’s access to mainstream domestic violence services, two major themes emerged from the interviews: (1) the nature and context of IPV in the Haitian immigrant community contribute to Haitian women’s reluctance to seek services as well as their overall vulnerability to reluctance to seek services and overall vulnerability to IPV and (2) participants articulated a number of directions that program development might go to address these broad themes. References