Word: asianization
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...problem of domestic abuse in the South Asian community has been studied on a few occasions with striking results. When the Asian Task Force against Domestic Violence (ATASK) conducted a study in Massachusetts in 2000, it found that “44 percent of South Asians know a woman who has been physically abused or injured by her partner,” and “31 percent know a woman whose partner insults or humiliates her regularly.” Professors Anita Raj of Boston University and Jay Silverman of the Harvard School of Public Health published a study...
...reasons for this problem are rarely discussed among South Asians because it forces us to confront some of the more difficult truths about our culture. When ATASK conducted its study, it also convened focus groups that discussed the possible reasons for domestic violence in the community. The phenomena that they cited are all too common for many South Asian households. They include the idea that a woman is “given” to the husband’s family when she is married, becoming the property of her husband, which creates a culture in which it is taboo...
Highlighting these elements of the culture is not a criticism of the entirety of South Asian immigrant culture; all cultures have a darker side. And studies specifically demonstrate that the problem is not related to cultural practices such as arranged marriage but the idea of the woman as property. The main takeaway from these stigmas and cultural issues is that South Asians must fight the problem by taking a culturally specific approach to change ideas about gender roles in our households, neighborhoods, and communities...
Many nonprofit organizations have recently arisen to do exactly that. Apna Ghar (in Hindi, “our home”), is a nonprofit in the Midwest that has a hotline and a shelter specifically geared towards South Asian immigrant women, with social workers who understand the stigmas and cultural issues that bring about such situations. Apna Ghar is able to relate to the experiences of women in the South Asian immigrant community, and works with women (and often their children) on a case-by-case basis to rebuild their lives after incidents of domestic violence. The organization has also...
Young members and friends of the South Asian community can take a unique leadership role in confronting this challenge. We can volunteer to help victims of domestic violence and support the organizations in need. Most importantly, we can raise awareness about domestic violence in our community. By discussing the issue with our families, neighborhoods, and religious organizations, we can make it clear that our generation does not believe that domestic violence is ever acceptable, and that seeking help for this issue is necessary. We must make the idea that women must be treated as equals an essential tenet...