Challenges of Providing Intimate Partner Violence Services to Immigrants: The Case of Indigenous Oaxacans

Background: Watsonville, a town in central California, recently experienced an immigrant influx from Oaxaca, one of Mexico's poorest states. The local Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) service-provider struggles to serve this indigenous sub-population because Oaxacans do not share cultural or linguistic similarities with other Latinos groups. Oaxacans speak the indigenous language Mizteca (not Spanish), and most are illiterate so accessing them via written materials is impossible. They are also culturally isolated from others. These differences create serious public health obstacles for IPV and health service providers, and often prevent access to health services when needed.

Methods: In-depth interviews with IPV specialists experienced in IPV service provision to Latino and Chicano communities were performed. Data elicited health provider perspectives on challenges reaching Oaxacan immigrants with services. Further research via purposive snowball/chain sampling of Oaxacan immigrants is needed: in-depth interviews in a safe and secure setting would help define and delineate the IPV/health care access obstacles specific to this immigrant group. Results will inform and improve IPV and health service-provision and access to Mizteca-speaking Oaxacan immigrants.

Results: Providing IPV services to immigrant communities presents unique challenges. Immigrant groups such as indigenous Oaxacans suffer from high IPV prevalence, but due to their unique linguistic, cultural, literacy differences are often unable to access IPV services or other health care when needed, and IPV and health service providers are not sure how to provide access to care for these populations.

Conclusion: IPV is a serious public health problem and is especially prevalent among immigrant Oaxacan communities. Because these communities are highly isolated, even within predominantly Latino communities, and as they experience unique language and cultural barriers to care, IPV service providers and other community health workers must go beyond typical outreach efforts to provide health care access to immigrant Oaxacans and other isolated immigrant groups.