Aside from fears about leaving their jobs, their homes and everything they know if they choose to flee — Spanish-speaking immigrants who are victims of domestic abuse are often isolated by barriers of language and culture. They are often too scared to reach out for help, particularly if they are living in the country without immigration papers. Some don’t even understand domestic abuse.
“Sometimes they don’t realize what they are going through,” says a counselor at Safe Passage, an organization in Northampton that supports victims of domestic abuse.
This is why the nonprofit agency has launched a support group for Spanish-speakers. The group, which started last Thursday, is a place where abused women can get together, share their experiences and support one another. It meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. Those who wish to participate should call 586-1125 to learn the location.
Newcomers are welcome at any time at the meetings which are run entirely in Spanish. Everything discussed will be completely confidential, say the Safe Passage organizers. Participants don’t have to provide their names, and undocumented immigrants can seek support without fear of deportation, says the counselor, who has dealt with abuse herself. She and the other counselors at Safe Passage do not publicly reveal their names due to continued fear of their abusers.
The support group is part of a new push to reach and fill a gap in services to the immigrant communities, says Marianne Winters, Safe Passage’s executive director. “Our counselors meet people where they are at emotionally,”she says.
Leaders of the support group will help participants understand how abuse can manifest itself both physically and emotionally, that abuse can be financial or psychological, says the counselor. Often domestic abuse starts early in a romance, she says. Signs can be subtle, like when a new partner wants to control where the woman goes and who she interacts with, she says.
“In their relationship they get completely isolated. So they are isolated from society, so it is difficult for them,” the counselor says. “It is a priority, a challenge for us to let them know that we are here and we can help them — in Spanish.”
One of Safe Passage’s goals is to expand the group’s reach by holding meetings in community centers and churches throughout Hampshire County.
One of the agency’s advocate is already traveling to those places to make Latinas aware of Safe Passage’s free services, like help in finding emergency shelter or guidance on how to make an emergency plan in case the need to flee their homes arises.
There is also one-on-one counseling, legal consultations and assistance in family court. Safe Passage might even provide money for a bus ticket to a shelter out of town, says Winters. There is a 24/7 emergency hotline with a trained counselor, who will determine whether the caller safe and free to talk, and then figure out the best steps forward. Even if a caller decides to seek emergency shelter, she is not required to give her name, a protection offered to encourage people to seek help.
“We believe that there are a lot of immigration issues that prevent people from reaching out,” says the counselor. “There are a lot of barriers. It is more difficult for them.”
The Safe Passage Hotline is 586-5066.
Safe Passage is located at 43 Center Street, Suite 304, Northampton. For more information about programs offered visit safepass.org.
Lisa Spear can be reached at Lspear@gazettenet.com.