A LIFE FREE FROM VIOLENCE IS EVERYONES RIGHT'

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A LIFE FREE FROM VIOLENCE IS EVERYONES RIGHT.
UNA VIDA LIBRE DE VIOLENCIA ES TU DERECHO.
Southern Arizona Battered Immigrant Women Project
Mission Safety and empowerment for immigrant
women and children victims of sexual and domestic
violence
This project has been funded in part by the
Governors Division for Prevention of Family
Violence (GDPFV) through a grant provided by the
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence
Against Women. Grant 2002-WR-BX-0014. Points
of view in this document are those of the author
and do not necessarily represent the official
position or policies of the Governors Division
for Prevention of Family Violence or the U.S.
Department of Justice.
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Battered Immigrant Women Task Forces for Seven
Southern AZ Counties

• Battered Immigrant Women Task Forces were funded
  in three counties since 2002, and beginning
  January 2005 in four more southern Arizona
  counties.
• Task Forces Purpose To improve the access to
  culturally appropriate services for battered
  immigrant women, thereby ensureing their rights
  under the Violence Against Women Act.
• Four Action Areas
• 1) education, outreach, information, awareness
• 2) training
• 3) improved services
• 4) resource development

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BIWP Guiding Principles

• Violence against anyone, regardless of
  immigration status, is a crime and a violation of
  human rights.
• Victims of crime have a right to protection under
  the law regardless of immigration status.
• Immigrants who are victims of sexual and domestic
  violence are especially vulnerable and are
  protected by law.
• The safety of everyone in our communities is
  compromised if we fail to provide protection to
  any one group in our communities.

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BIWP Partners in 7 Counties

• Southern Arizona CenterAgainst Sexual Assault
  Su Voz Vale/Your Voice Counts, Pima County
• SouthEast Arizona Behavioral Health Services,
  Santa Cruz County
• House of Hope, Catholic Community Services,
  Cochise County
• Amberlys Place, Yuma County
• Pinal Hispanic Council, Pinal County
• Safehouse, Graham/Greenlee Counties
• Arizona Governors Office for Women
• Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health

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Role of the University of ArizonaCollege of
Public Health

• Provide technical assistance in formation of
  multidisciplinary task forces
• Collaborate to develop research questions and
  conduct timely research
• Participate in advocacy, education and
  policy-development efforts of task forces

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Participatory Action Research

• Interviews with VAWA self-petitioners in Santa
  Cruz and Pima Counties - 2006
• Elicit recommendations from survivors about
  improving the VAWA self-petition process
• Identify areas where task forces can intensify
  training and policy efforts
• Identify priority needs and unmet needs of
  battered immigrant women
• Obtain perspective of the women regarding their
  own experience with the process

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Participatory Action ResearchMethodology

• Study participants were recruited by BIWP
  partners in Santa Cruz and Pima Counties.
• MEZCOPH partners conducted interviews of focus
  groups with 21 women.
• BIWP partners recently concluded qualitative
  analysis using a group consensus process.
• MEZCOPH
• Southern Arizona Legal Aid (SALA)
• Su Voz Vale

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Study FindingsWhat motivates women to initiate
VAWA process?

• Desire to leave abusive spouse.
• Desire to change immigration status.
• Concern over childrens future.
• Support from the system of service providers.

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Contextual Considerations

• Spouse uses immigration as form of control.
• Combination of abuse and immigration has a strong
  emotional impact.
• Many women are planning to return to Mexico.
• Victims can never become independent of their
  abusers without VAWA
• VAWA process can be transformative

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Desire to leave spouse

• Tired (cansada) of living in an abusive
  situation.
• Spouse uses constant threats of deportation to
  control and intimidate.
• Threats to call immigration.
• Threats to take/deport children
• Desire for independence - VAWA provides the means
  to leave the relationship.

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Change Immigration Status

• To live without fear of immigration officials.
• Although she did not marry for papers, it is the
  only means to become independent
• Be able to achieve economic independence a work
  permit.
• Be able to stay with her children in this
  country.

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Childrens Future

• To ensure that her children are safe from
  violence.
• Enables woman to immigrate her children without
  spouses knowledge.
• Creates stability and security for her childrens
  future.
• Creates opportunities for children.

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Support from the system

• Law enforcement informing women about legal aid
  services.
• Providing the opportunity for counseling,
  protection orders, divorce.
• Being assured they would be supported throughout
  the process.
• Being told that they have rights.
• Being told that their life would change if they
  had legal status.

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Continuing the Work

• Systemic and personal barriers to the VAWA
  process.
• Other concerns of battered immigrant women
• How the community can provide support for
  victims.
• Policy recommendations

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Roadmap to Ensure Rights and Safety of VAWA
Petitioners