163519 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

Monday, November 5, 2007

Deborah Jean McClelland, MLS , Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Katherine A. Gillespie, MA , Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Maia Ingram, MPH , Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Tesa Mayorga, MPH, BSN , Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Montserrat Caballero , Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, Su Voz Vale, Tucson, AZ
Jessica R. Martin , Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Tucson, AZ
Valerie Hink , Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Tucson, AZ
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.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation participants will be able to: -Describe the issues facing battered immigrant women in the VAWA self-petition process. -Identify policies and practices that facilitate or hinder this process. -Discuss the challenges of addressing federal, state and local policies in terms of immigrant rights and access to basic human services.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.