Ensuring the rights of immigrant survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence at the US/Mexico border: National policy, local practice and women's lived experience

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was created to protect the rights of all victims of interpersonal violence in the US, which include rights to health and well-being, dignity, and self determination. VAWA includes provisions to provide support to battered immigrant women to leave harmful or lethal situations without jeopardizing their immigration status. Battered immigrant women face the unique double burden of being an immigrant and a victim of domestic and/or sexual violence. In the highly militarized environment of the US/Mexico border region, these women experience additional challenges to accessing advocacy programs, health and social services, law enforcement, and the justice system, though these services are guaranteed by law to all victims of crime. To date, much research has focused on the barriers battered immigrant women encounter in coming forward to report violence, and has been covered mostly from the perspective of service providers. In order to better understand women's experiences in applying for immigration status through the VAWA self-petition process, the Southern Arizona Battered Immigrant Women Project conducted interviews in three border counties with a number of applicants. Findings from these qualitative interviews will be presented and illustrate how policy, politics and practices facilitate or obstruct access to these rights. Specifically, the study highlights the lived experience of battered immigrant women, and offers recommendations to improve policy and service delivery based on these women's views and critiques of the VAWA self-petition process.