Domestic Violence and Communities of Color
December 22, 2011
Domestic Violence and Communities of Color
Recently, the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) released a quick fact sheet on Domestic Violence and Communities of Color. This fact sheet provides information about how and why communities of color experience domestic violence.
According to WSCADV:
People of all races and ethnicities experience domestic violence.
Research by the Washington State Domestic Violence Fatality Review found that Hispanic/Latina, African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Asian and Pacific Islander women are more than twice as likely to be murdered by an intimate partner than white women.
- This research does not tell us that people of color commit more domestic violence.
- It does tell us that women of color and Native women did not get the help they needed.
- Danger for victims of color and Native women was heightened by failures in the legal system and the lack of community services that were culturally relevant and accessible.
Source: Now that We Know: Findings and Recommendations from the Washington State Domestic Violence Fatality Review, 2008
Research shows that poverty rates are higher for people of color than for white people. This makes it harder to escape abuse. Survivors need things like affordable housing, childcare, and transportation.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, U.S. Census Bureau, 2007
A person’s immigration status has a huge impact on their options for safety.
- Fear of deportation deters people from turning to the police for help.
- Abusers use threats of deportation to control their partner.
- Deportation can have many serious consequences, like being separated from your children or having to return to a violent family.
Many places people turn to for help – like police, courts, and social service agencies – don’t regularly provide interpreters. This makes it impossible for people who speak limited English to get the help they need.
A history of police bias and violence against people of color discourages people from turning to the police for protection. This leaves communities with no good options for intervening with violent abusers.
Many communities simply have no culturally appropriate or culturally specific domestic violence services. When people don’t have a place to go where they feel understood and supported, it leaves them more vulnerable to an abuser’s control.
For more information, you can read WSCADV’s full 2008 Fatality Review report and WSCADV’s recent brief on immigrant and refugee victims of domestic violence homicide.
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