11/12/2009
Stopping the violent cycle
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| Stopping the violent cycle |
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Ed Langlois
Hispanic victims of domestic abuse may face an especially difficult road.
In addition to being beaten and manipulated by a man, a problem that crosses cultures, women from Latino societies sometimes endure pressure against escaping the situation. Speaking out against the abuser is also taboo.
“For a variety of societal and cultural reasons, domestic violence has been kept silent,” says Karen Janes, manager of Project UNICA, a Catholic Charities service that runs a round-the-clock Spanish-language crisis line for victims of abuse. “Every day we strive toward making a change in the heartbreaking domestic violence statistics of our state.”
In Oregon, crisis service hotlines each year receive more than 50,000 emergency calls and 37,000 non-emergency calls from survivors of domestic violence.
In a 2004 survey of Oregon women ages 20-55, almost a third reported they had experienced threats of violence, physical assault, sexual assault or stalking.
Project UNICA (Un Nuevo Inicio para Concluir el Abuso / A New Beginning to End Abuse) began in 2005. It’s operated by Catholic Charities’ El Programa Hispano. Staff and trained volunteers field about 100 calls per month.
Project UNICA staffers have logged a drop in calls over the past year or two. But that’s not necessarily good news. Janes fears the bad economy has made women less willing to leave an abusive man.
Most of the women Project UNICA serves are between 25 and 40. Many are stay-at-home moms whose abusers have kept them from access to credit cards and identification. Adding to the problem for Spanish-speaking women is the language barrier, which makes reporting difficult. Some women keep the abuse from authorities for fear of deportation.
Though domestic violence is higher among low-income families than others, it is not isolated to that group. While neither race nor religion affect domestic violence rates, some cultures are not as open to reporting.
In addition to the phone line, Project UNICA maintains staff who help victims navigate social services, police reporting and the court system. The workers also run support groups, so the victims know they are not alone. Some victims get set up in jobs or English classes.
Allied with other agencies, Project UNICA helps victims find shelter, including hotel rooms until safe house space opens up.
The Portland Women’s Crisis Line, the English-language call center, did have translators before 2005, but that delayed and complicated services. Now, calls in Spanish are referred to Project UNICA.
The needs of abuse victims
Survivors who arrive at the Project UNICA office or who call the crisis line have often fled and have little more than the clothes they are wearing. Items like travel size shampoo, toothpaste and other personal hygiene items are helpful.
Through Nov. 20, the Catholic Charities program is collecting donations to provide to its clients in crisis. Purple donation boxes are in place at the Catholic Charities main office in Portland, located at 231 SE 12th, and at the El Programa Hispano office in Gresham, located at 138 NE 3rd St., Suite 140.
Also needed are bus tickets and discarded cell phones with chargers so clients can call 911 in case of emergency.
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