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 Health & Beauty | October 2007 
Facing Silence of Domestic Violence
 Tom Wrobleski - Staten Island Advance
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Staten Island, N.Y. - Maria is not her real name.
But the tale she tells is all too common on Staten Island, particularly among the Mexican-American community.
"I have suffered domestic violence," the North Shore resident said through a translator, after a forum on domestic violence held at St. Mary of the Assumption R.C. Church in Port Richmond.
Maria, 27, said she moved here from Mexico with her husband, a day laborer, a few years ago. She has no other family in the United States.
"He hit me," Maria says. "I had no one to turn to. I lived in fear. I was afraid to leave, and afraid to tell anyone what was happening to me."
The Rev. Terry Troia, who was translating for Maria, told the Advance earlier that it is often economic dependence that keeps women from leaving their abusers; it's tougher still if the couple has children.
"They're afraid to leave the person who's paying the rent," said Rev. Troia, executive director of Project Hospitality. "Where do they go? How to they care for their children? It's a survival issue."
The problem is particularly acute among undocumented immigrants, as Maria can attest.
"He told me, 'No one can help, you don't have papers,'" Maria said.
Yesterday's forum, which was attended by around 100 women, along with their children, was sponsored by District Attorney Daniel Donovan and El Centro de Hospitalidad.
Donovan said he looked to organize the event after noticing an uptick in domestic violence arrests, with 20 to 30 percent of such Island arrests in August occurring in the Mexican immigrant community.
"Women in the community were not aware that there were people who were willing and able to help," said Donovan, who spoke at the event along with a number of aides.
The district attorney's office can relocate women who choose to leave their abusers, and also offers medical care, financial assistance and counseling, as well as help when criminal cases are launched.
"There isn't any other crime where there's such an intimate relationship between victim and assailant," said Donovan. "They can be difficult cases to prosecute."
Domestic violence is also among the most underreported crimes, including in the Mexican immigrant community, where cultural traditions and mistrust of police and other authority figures can be a barrier.
"People don't talk about it," said Reina Ubaldegaray, domestic violence coordinator for El Centro. "It's like a taboo."
Many undocumented women, she said, fear that they will be deported if they come forward. She hopes yesterday's forum will be a step in changing that.
"These women think there's no help out there," Ms. Ubaldegaray said. "This lets them know there are benefits out there."
Maria said she is still with her husband, and that they have been receiving counseling.
Yesterday's event was a welcome one, she said.
"What I learned here is that I'm not alone," Maria said. "There are people who are willing to help me."
Tom Wrobleski may be reached at wrobleski@siadvance.com. Read his polit.bureau blog at http://www.silive.com/newslogs/politics/. |
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