The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently asked the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) to collect information on the challenges, prevention and treatment of intimate partner violence in immigrant and refugee communities. After reviewing the literature, collecting data from interviews and examining existing prevention and treatment programs, FVPF prepared a report, Intimate Partner Violence in Immigrant and Refugee Communities: Challenges, Promising Practices and Recommendations, which examines the subject from a variety of standpoints, offering recommendations and summaries for future work and funding efforts.

Among the findings, the study noted that intimate partner violence is not more prevalent among immigrant and refugee population groups compared to other groups, however, several factors exist that make it especially difficult for victims in these groups to seek help, including:

• Abusive partners may use the victim’s immigration status against her
• Language barriers and lack of familiarity with the U.S. social system among victims
• Fear of discrimination from the authorities if a victim reports violence

There was general agreement on the kind of core services that should be offered to victims who seek help:

• Crisis-oriented, community-based, confidential counseling, including safety planning
• Temporary shelter for victims and their children
• Education about the criminal justice response to violence, the provision of legal services and accessible legal service providers
• Supportive advocacy to help victims build additional life skills and to negotiate systems that help enhance safety
• Information about other services, including housing, food, economic resources and mental health services

Finally, the researcher noted tensions among service organizations identified as the “trust vs. prevention” paradox, which also affects a community’s ability to act on the researcher’s goal of “changing community members’ attitudes and social norms. For example, several service providers said that the only way they reached victims was by providing an array of other services – language classes, employment assistance – that created an environment where women eventually felt comfortable enough to disclose abuse. Other providers never openly identified themselves as domestic violence agencies for fear of alienating the community. Yet, it’s hard to raise community awareness of intimate partner violence if it not being discussed.

The report contains a number of recommendations for funders, service providers, policy makers and academics.