Abstract
Refugee community members who have experienced domestic violence in the U.S. face complex challenges in seeking help which may ultimately impact their ability to leave violent relationships. When domestic violence organizations are not prepared to serve them in culturally responsive ways, these challenges are exacerbated. This study surveyed 70 executive directors of domestic violence agencies in U.S. resettlement cities about the extent to which their organization’s practices reflected cultural responsiveness in serving refugee populations. The results showed promising indicators of organizational cultural responsiveness but uncovered numerous areas for growth. In particular, the study results underscore the need for organizations to improve their language supports and take active steps to outreach to, hire, and engage refugee communities in order to better serve them. This paper makes recommendations for how DV agencies can be more culturally responsive as they support refugee individuals who are seeking safety from violent relationships.
Highlights
Domestic violence (DV) is a serious, global public health issue with long-term negative impacts on individuals, families, and societies (World Health Organization 2017)
The purpose of the current study is to assess culturally responsive organizational practices among domestic violence agencies in U.S resettlement cities in an attempt to gain a baseline understanding of organizational cultural responsiveness and inform future service provision and research
One agency characteristic emerged as a key characteristic associated with multiple domains of cultural responsiveness: the percentage of total clients who are refugees within an annual period was positively associated with agency values and practices, agency staffing and programmatic practices, and interagency collaboration and outreach
Summary
Domestic violence (DV) is a serious, global public health issue with long-term negative impacts on individuals, families, and societies (World Health Organization 2017). Women who are not fluent in English experience barriers at every turn when they seek help for their abusive situation They may have trouble communicating with the police or social service providers, navigating a complex legal system, or filling out required paperwork (Bhuyan et al 2005; Crandall et al 2005; Latta and Goodman 2005; Menjívar and Salcido 2002; Ortiz Hendricks 2009; Shiu-Thornton et al 2005; Sullivan et al 2005). Combined with cultural and societal views of DV in the refugee survivor’s country of origin, these language issues help to explain why many refugee and immigrant survivors lack awareness of domestic violence laws and available services, as well as their challenges in seeking help
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