Washington DeSi: South Asians in the Nation's Capital, released this week by ASHA partners South Asian Americans Leading Together and Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, calls gender-based violence a "silent, but important concern" within the South Asian community, and notes that organizations like ASHA are reporting an increase in the women seeking our services.
"D.C. area domestic violence prevention and support organizations, such as Asian/Pacific Islanders Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) and Asian Women's Self Help Association (ASHA [for Women]), point to an increase in South Asian women seeking their services. DVRP and ASHA are not only raising awareness in the Asian Pacific Islander community about the problems of domestic violence in metropolitan Washington, D.C., but are also providing access to culturally and linguistically responsive resources."Despite our services and outreach services, D.C. government agencies and mainstream social service providers and shelters need to work more closely with Asian and South Asian organizations to expand the services and options available to domestic violence victims and survivors, the report recommends.
The report also states that District agencies enhance mental health services to South Asians, especially those that are "newly arrived immigrants and survivors of domestic violence and trauma." While organizations like ASHA partner Counselors Helping (South) Asian Indians or CHAI have been filling this void, South Asians often find it difficult to obtain necessary mental health information that is linguistically and culturally sensitive, the report adds.
If you or anyone you know needs to talk to someone about domestic abuse, please call ASHA for Women's 24-hour, toll-free helpline: 1-888-417-2742.
For media or organizational inquiries, please e-mail us at coordinator@ashaforwomen.org.
