A report in the Detroit Free Press on Sunday, April 24, 2005, cited cultural issues among women in the Asian community in southeastern Michigan – one of the fastest growing immigrant populations – as a reason why domestic violence is so rarely reported. Cultural expectations – that a woman is lucky to be married and must keep quiet about anything her husband does to her – often prevent Asian and Asian-American women from speaking openly about domestic abuse and from seeking help through mainstream channels.
Although a nationwide study of domestic violence published in 2000 by the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that domestic violence occurred with much less frequency in Asian and Asian-American families, experts now say that the statistics really represent underreporting.
The Free Press article related the story of a Korean woman – a professional – who endured 11 years of violence before she was able to escape.
There are many agencies available to help women in Asian and Asian-American families to escape and/or to prevent family violence. See, for example:
Domestic violence resources ·
New Visions: Alliance to End Violence in Asian/Asian American Communities Tel. 734-615-2106 Email newvisions@umich.edu
Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence
Tel. 415-954-9988, ext. 315 Email: apidvinstitute@apiahf.org
Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project
Michigan Battered Women's Clemency Project
Email: Jacobsen@umich.edu
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Intimate Partner Violence Fact Sheet
National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
"Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women"
If you need crisis help ·
Michigan Asian Indian Family Services
24-hour line: 888-664-8624
Help Against Violent Encounters Now (HAVEN)
24-hour line: 248-334-1274
Domestic Violence Project/SAFE House
24-hour line: 734-995-5444
Detroit Police Department Rape Counseling Center and Domestic Violence
24-hour lines: 313-833-1660 or 313-833-9813
To contact Jeanne Hannah with your questions or to view her Family Law website, click here.
Hello Jeanne:
Great web site! I am delighted to see other attorneys, especially private practitioners, take domestic violence seriously. I thought that you may want to include us in you list of resources. Also, we have wonderful informatiion and resources in the MI Resource Center, which is located at our office; with free lending and technical assistance.
Also, I am doing a large statewide training on August 25, 2005 titled "The Pro Bono Project for Domestic Violence Victims" in partnership with the State Bar of MI, Justice Initiatives. I will be submitting a Save the Date announcement to the family law listserve soon. Do you represent many survivors of DV or sexual assault in civil matters? If so, would you be intersted in contributing to the pro bono project? There will be a training site in Gaylord this year (six sites total, broadcast via satellite from WKAR in East Lansing, then local panelists in the afternoon)
If you are interested in discussing this further, please let me know, and I can contact you.
Sincerely,
Katy Conklin, JD
Civil Justice Project
Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
3893 Okemos Rd. Ste. B2
Okemos, MI 48864
(517) 347-7000 ext. 26
Posted by: Katy Conklin | May 04, 2005 at 01:50 PM