“Stopping Violence Against Women Depends on Me”
Adelante Familia launched an extensive two-year domestic violence awareness campaign targeted to the Spanish-speaking immigrant community of the Baltimore metropolitan area.
Under the slogan “Stopping Violence Against Women Depends on Me,” the campaign invited community members to speak out about this problem, informed the community about the prevalence of abuse against women, and encouraged community members to be part of a change in attitude towards abuse against women.
This campaign reached more than 2,500 community members.
All campaign materials were designed and produced in Spanish. The campaign materials included training materials for English-speaking service providers who serve Latino immigrant families. These materials were displayed at various events in the community to spread the campaign’s messages.
Adelante Familia has participated in the Latino festivals and has conducted presentations on domestic violence at schools, churches and other service provider organizations as part of the campaign efforts.
The campaign exhorts community members to adopt the following actions: respect women; support the victim not the perpetrator; don’t mock women; call the police if you see a woman being abused; do not make excuses for the abuse; and encourage a woman to seek help.
Providing education on the dynamics of domestic violence in the Baltimore community is one of Adelante Familia’s primary goals. Due to immigration, legal status, economical factors, and educational factors, domestic violence among Latinos is 10 percent higher than the general population. Raising awareness in the Latin American community is a crucial step in reducing the problem of violence against women. Strong trends indicate that people who understand and recognize domestic violence are more likely to be proactive in reducing domestic violence in the community. Prevention and support services, like those Adelante Familia provides, help in the eradication of violence against women in the Latino Community.
DID YOU KNOW?
Baltimore’s population is about 670,000 habitants.
About 11,400 are of Hispanic/Latino origin.
Due to immigration, legal status, economical factors, and educational factors, domestic violence among Latinos is 10 percent higher than the general population.
Nearly one-third of women report being physically or sexually abused by their partner at some point in their lives. On average, more than three women are killed by their intimate partners/ex-partners in the USA each day. Seventy percent of severe injuries and deaths occur when the victim is trying to leave or has already left the relationship.
Eighty to 90 percent of children living in homes with domestic violence are aware of the violence. In homes where violence occurs, a 30-60 percent chance of co-occurring child abuse exists.
Twenty percent of teen relationships involve violence. Thirty eight percent of date rape victims are young women between the ages of 14 and 17. Seventy percent of pregnant teenagers are abused by their partner.
Adelante Familia has helped more than 900 women since 2005 with 24-hour emergency phone services, crisis counseling, legal information and advocacy, comprehensive case management for victims and their children, support groups, information and referral to other services. But we cannot stop the violence alone. Each of us can contribute to create an environment in which abuse against women is not tolerated.
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