NCJ Number
180923
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: 2000 Pages: 27-36
Date Published
2000
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article explores the way in which immigration status interacts with domestic assault and woman battering in the lives of immigrant women in multicultural societies such as the United States, Australia, Germany, and Israel.
Abstract
The common characteristic of the diverse immigrant communities and the society in which they live is the patriarchal social order that supports violence against women. This social order in many immigrant communities tolerates and often denies the violence, protects perpetrators, and silences victims. Anti-immigrant sentiments in many countries have particularly harmed battered immigrant women, who are afraid of using social and health services or calling the police for help. Many immigrant battered women are also afraid that official action will lead to the deportation of their abusers, which in turn could mean the loss of their own dependent immigrant status. However, the overriding rational underlying immigrant women's decisions to stay in abusive relationships is the prospect of losing their children. Thus, the convergence of cultural, social, and legal circumstances seriously compromises their access to justice. Therefore, criminal justice agencies and personnel need to modify their procedures by including multicultural representation in their personnel, training in cultural awareness, and training in being fair and professional in carrying out their work. The long-term goal needs to be the empowerment of immigrant women so that they can resist violence on their own terms. 47 reference notes