Societal Factors Create Barriers to Seeking Help
Many people face barriers in seeking help for violence. This includes people with disabilities, people of certain cultures, lower-income people, transgender people, and immigrants. For example, barriers that immigrants face include:[][]
- Language barriers
- Legal concerns
- Cultural concerns
- Stigma
- Availability
- Insurance
To address these barriers, organizations can:
- Provide services, education, and ads in multiple languages
- Ensure information is reaching all communities
- Educate themselves on immigrants’ rights
- Be aware of signs of abuse
- Be sensitive to cultural differences
[VSE1] Dutton, Mary & Orloff, Leslye & Hass, Giselle. (2000). Characteristics of help-seeking behaviors, resources, and service needs of battered immigrant Latinas: Legal and policy implications. Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. 7. 30-49. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/characteristics-help-seeking-behaviors-resources-and-service-needs
[VSE2] Reina, A. S., Lohman, B. J., & Maldonado, M. M. (2013). “He Said They’d Deport Me”: Factors Influencing Domestic Violence Help-Seeking Practices Among Latina Immigrants. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(4), 593–615. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260513505214