Abstract
Domestic violence affects women across all racial, national, social, and economic groups. In particular, immigrant and refugee families are at risk for domestic violence because of their migration history and differences in cultural values and norms. The Ahimsa for Safe Families Project is an innovative collaborative project that addresses domestic violence in immigrant and refugee communities in San Diego. The project is designed to increase awareness of domestic violence among Latino, Somali, and Vietnamese communities and to develop and implement culturally specific programs aimed at each community. Here the authors describe the Project's needs assessment and communitydialogues that guided the development of specific interventions; present the lessons learned; and describe replicable, culturally specific prevention strategies utilized by the Project.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Heise L, Ellsberg M, Gottemoeller M: Ending Violence Against Women. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Population Information Program; 1999
Tjaden P, Thoennes, N: Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice; 2000. Report No.: NCJ 183781
Weinbaum Z, Stratton TL, Chavez G, Motylewski-Link C, Barrera N, Courtney JG: Female victims of intimate partner physical domestic violence (IPP-DV), California 1998. Am J Prev Med 2001; 21(4):313–319
Heise L, Ellsberg M, Gottmoeller M: A global overview of gender-based violence. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2002; 78(Suppl 1):S5–S14
Rodriguez MA, Bauer HM, Flores-Ortiz Y, Szkupinski-Quiroga S: Factors affecting patient–physician communication for abused Latina and Asian immigrant women. J Fam Pract 1998; 47(4):309–311
Astbury J, Atkinson J, Duke JE, Easteal PL, Kurrle SE, Tait PR, et al.: The impact of domestic violence on individuals. Med J Aust 2000; 173(8):427–431
Rodriguez M: A mandatory reporting of domestic violence: What do patients and physicians think? In: The California Wellness Foundation Wellness Lecture Series; 1997
World Bank: World Development Report, 1993: Investing in Health. New York: Oxford University Press; 1993
WHO: World report on violence and health. In: Etienne GK, Linda LD, James AM, Anthony BZ, Rafael L, eds. World Health Organization; Geneva, 2002
Schechter S: Women and Male Violence: The Visions and Struggles of the Battered Women's Movement. South End Press, Boston; 1982
Bauer HM, Rodriguez MA, Quiroga SS, Flores-Ortiz YG: Barriers to health care for abused Latina and Asian immigrant women. J Health Care Poor Underserved 2000; 11(1):33–44
Bui HN, Morash M. Domestic violence in the Vietnamese immigrant community: An exploratory study. Violence Against Women 1999; 5(7):769–795
Dasgupta SD: Charting the course: An overview of domestic violence in the South Asian community in the United States. J Soc Distress Homeless 2000; 9(3):13
Haile-Mariam T, Smith J: Domestic violence against women in the international community. Emerg Med Clin North Am 1999; 17(3):617–630, vi
Pinn VW, Chunko MT: The diverse faces of violence: Minority women and domestic abuse. Acad Med 1997; 72(1 Suppl):S65–S71
Stowers GN: A different model: Alternative service delivery for today's diverse communities. J Health Hum Serv Adm 1999; 22(2):174–195
Heise L, Ellsberg M: Violence against women: Impact on sexual and reproductive health, Chapter 8. In: Murphy E, Ringheim K, eds. Reproductive Health, Gender and Human Rights: A Dialogue. Washington, DC: Corporate Author: PATH; 2001
Espin OM: Women Crossing Boundaries: A Psychology of Immigration and Transformations of Sexuality. New York: Routledge; 1999
Yoshioka M: Asian Family Violence Report: A Study of the Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese Communities in Massachusetts. Boston, MA: Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence; 2000
Shetty S, Kaguyutan J: Immigrant victims of domestic violence: Cultural challenges and available legal protections. In: National Electronic Network on Violence Against Women; 2002. Available on-line at: http://www.vawnet.org/
Perilla JL, Bakeman R, Norris FH: Culture and domestic violence: The ecology of abused Latinas. Violence Vict 1994; 9(4):325–339
Sen P: Domestic violence, deportation, and women's resistance: Notes on managing inter-sectionality. Dev Pract 1999; 9(1–2):178–183
Shah NM, Menon I: Violence against women migrant workers: Issues, data and partial solutions. Asian Pac Migr J 1997; 6(1):5–30
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pan, A., Daley, S., Rivera, L.M. et al. Understanding the Role of Culture in Domestic Violence: The Ahimsa Project for Safe Families. J Immigrant Health 8, 35–43 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-006-6340-y
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-006-6340-y