Legal assistance can change lives of immigrant domestic violence victims

Immigrant victims of domestic violence are often reluctant to report abuse because they don’t want to be deported — a vulnerability that their abusers are aware of and use to exert control over the relationship.

Op-Ed (Tennessee)

Chay Sengkhounmany
Tennessean, The
August 1, 2019
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Tags: Domestic Violence, Immigration

Organizations mentioned/involved: Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands

DETAILS

Immigrant victims of domestic violence face a dilemma that others do not. They are often reluctant to report abuse because they don’t want to be deported — a vulnerability that their abusers are aware of and use to exert control over the relationship. The victims also may not understand the English language, may not understand what behaviors are considered abusive in our culture, and crucially, may not know the legal rights they have.

The Legal Aid Society’s SIL Project offers free legal assistance in immigration matters for low-income survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across 48 counties in Middle Tennessee. Because Nashville is a resettlement center, our immigrant population tends to be quite diverse, covering a wide range of different countries and languages, including a good number of Spanish-speaking clients. The majority of our clients are women, but we also represent several men.