NCJ Number
199234
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2002 Pages: 277-299
Date Published
2002
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the challenges of dealing with domestic violence against immigrant women.
Abstract
Migration makes women more dependent on their husbands, intimate partners, employers, extended families, and communities. Women of all cultures are expected to conform to their particular culture’s ideal of female virtue. This is intensified in times of upheaval such as migration. Immigrants appear to be especially vulnerable to victimization at the hands of their own. There are a number of social, economic, legal, and cultural factors that inhibit immigrant women from getting out of abusive relationships. They are reluctant to report crime and cooperate with authorities due to a combination of social, cultural, and legal factors. Many immigrant women lack linguistic skills in both the language of their new country and in their own language. One commonality of immigrant communities and the society in which they live is the patriarchal social order that does not hold abuses accountable and that supports violence against women. Anti-immigrant sentiments compound the situation, heightening their isolation and suspicion of outsiders, including justice system agents. So far, the justice system’s response to immigrants’ victimization has received not only little attention but little research as well. Dealing with cultural diversity is one of the major challenges for justice professionals. One of the strategies in dealing with the victimization of immigrant populations is to employ a multi-cultural staff in law enforcement, the courts, and social service agencies, as well as the recruitment, retention, and promotion of individuals familiar with the culture and language of immigrant communities. It is important for professional justice agents to demonstrate a genuine regard for due process when enforcing the law in the diverse communities they serve. Long-term goals need to focus on the empowerment of immigrant women. The laws and procedures that abused immigrant women have to navigate in order to escape abuse or resist violence need to be re-examined. 3 notes, 64 references