Lifetime Prevalence of Violence Against Latina Immigrants: Legal and Policy Implications

Although domestic violence plagues communities of all races, socio-economic status and geographical locations, some communities within the U.S. are more vulnerable because victims' alternatives to living with their abuser are more limited and they face more obstacles to obtaining the assistance they need to escape the violence. A particularly vulnerable group are Hispanic immigrants residing in the U.S. who have been described as living in more difficult conditions. Latina immigrants and refugees face stresses of acculturation and language, in addition to the limited opportunities afforded to other ethnically diverse groups in the U.S. This article examines the prevalence of various forms of domestic violence experienced by Latina immigrant women, the nature of the battering and extreme cruelty they experience, and public policy implications of the findings. Undocumented and recently documented Latina women (n=280) were interviewed about their experiences relating to domestic violence. A large proportion of the survey participants in the three groups (48.0 percent) were undocumented, unpartnered (56.5 percent), and employed (52.9 per cent). Participants reporting being in the U.S. for an average of 5.1 years. Based on their responses, participants were identified as ‘Physically and/or Sexually Abused’ (n=136), ‘Psychologically Abused Only’ (n=33), or ‘Non-Abused’ (n = 107). Results showed that 49.3 percent of all participants reported having experienced physical abuse, 11.4 percent sexual abuse, 60.0 per cent dominance/isolation-type psychological abuse, and 40.7 percent emotional/verbal-type psychological abuse from an intimate partner. Physically and/or sexually abused women reported higher rates of several types of dominance/isolation compared to those in the psychologically abused only group. There were no differences between the two groups in emotional/verbal abuse. Physically and/or sexually abused women experienced more threats, including threats to harm children and other family members, to take the woman's money, to call Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), and to kill her, compared to psychologically abused only women. The implication for policies related to battered immigrant women is discussed.