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Papers > Miscellaneous > Preserve Your Family A Domestic Violence Manual for Latino Families in Sacramento County
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Preserve Your Family A Domestic Violence Manual for Latino Families in Sacramento County |
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... Manual 5. Summary, Implications & Recommendations References Tanya Coit Modesta Cervantes (Domestic Violence Manual) Chapter 1 Introduction and Problem Formulation Introduction Domestic violence refers to any incident of threatening behavior, violence, or abuse between two married adults, who live together. ... However, domestic violence within Latino families appears to be on a rise and deserves high recognition. Flore-Ortiz noted, “The incidence of domestic violence has risen sharply in the last decade. ... While specific figures for family violence among Chicanos and Latinos are not available, clinical and anecdotal data do suggest a serious violence problem in Raza communities (1993, Pg. ... ” More so, the factors of machismo, male superiority, and marianismo, Latina women’s Catholic idealization of the Virgin Mary are possible precursors for domestic violence within Latino families. Thus, we became extremely intrigued regarding why domestic violence is a factor for Latina women and families and how this issue affects their willingness to seek assistance. In addition, based on our research, resources for Latino families are minimal in the Sacramento County. Specifically, there are not enough service agencies that understand the aspects of domestic violence within Latino families. These issues will be examined within this project to develop a domestic violence manual, which will cater to Latino families within the Sacramento area. ... Background of the Problems Domestic violence occurs within all cultures and socioeconomic classes. Armitage noted, “Offenders and victims of family violence come from every type of family. ... ” Domestic violence is a growing concern because it happens more often than expected. ... ” The ramifications of unresolved domestic violence within the Latino community presents a greater problem than one may assume. Traditionally, the Latino family is dominated by male superiority, known as “machismo”. ... ” As Latino families migrate to the United States, the need for Latina women to obtain employment to assist their family can cause turmoil within the family. ... women, as they must work to help support their families because of the current economic situation (1996, pg. ... This causes more chaos as, “From a cultural perspective, violence against women is perceived as punishment for not behaving or performing as socially expected (Mayo and Resnick 1996, pg. ... ” These factors increase the likelihood of domestic violence within Latino families because they are forced with the issues of preserving the culture while assimilating to the dominance of the European influence. Thus, domestic violence can increase within the Latino family because the male feels he is losing his superiority. ... ’ ‘Inevitably this fails; he may feel more frustrated and powerless, and respond with physical violence (1993, pg. ... ” Although we are examining issues that distinctively affect the Latino family there are many universal factors that arise. Armitage (2000) points out domestic violence causes emotional and psychological trauma to the family. “An important point to highlight is that children are affected by all form of domestic violence, not just the physical (McGee, 2000, pg. ... Armitage noted, in reference to children who witness domestic violence, that “Feelings of worthlessness can lead some children to harm themselves or they may become very aggressive to others or disruptive in school (2000, pg. ... ” Specifically, such children are often unable to deal with the overwhelming feelings of anger and confusion that result from family violence. ... More so, Armitage (2000) points out the emotional and psychological effects of domestic violence can lead some women to feelings of worthlessness and acceptance to being battered. ... ” When women do not seek assistance for domestic violence, men often do not acknowledge their wrong doings. ... Therefore, the cycle of domestic violence continues to be an issue. In short, “Men batter for a variety of reasons, but three basic premises underlie the occurrence of abuse: (a) men learned that violence is an option, (b) it works, and (c) the consequences are minimal or nonexistent (Perilla, 1999, pg. ... ” It also important to note that domestic violence resources for Latino families, within the Sacramento County, are scarce. ... Thus, there needs to be a resource base for such families to gain assistance and live a violent free life. Statement of the Problem Based on our review of this matter, prior research and resources tends to combine domestic violence, against women, uniformly with all cultures. In addition, there are minimal resources in Sacramento, which specifically assist the Latino family in dealing with domestic violence issues. A manual developed specifically for Latino families, who experience domestic violence, would generate a specialized resource foundation to assist them with obtaining services and understanding the cycle of domestic violence within their culture. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this project is to examine the cultural factors of domestic violence within Latino families. In addition, we will be examining the resources available to Latino families, within Sacramento County, which assist with stopping violence between the adults. With this information, we will compose a specialized manual for this population to obtain and understand the issue of domestic violence. The manual will be catered to all types of Latino families who experience domestic violence within Sacramento, County. Specifically, this manual is designed for Latino men and women who speak monolingual Spanish, those who are bilingual in Spanish and English, immigrants, Latino families who want to preserve their family, and women who want to leave their abusive husbands or boyfriends. Theoretical Framework For the purpose of this project we will be utilizing the exchange theory to examine domestic violence within the Latino families. ... The husbands will utilize violence against their wives to achieve their means so as long as the costs are less than the rewards. Under this theory husbands hit and abuse other family members because they can. In addition, the ramifications of domestic violence are low in America due to under funded shelters for abused women, sexual inequality, male superiority and cultural isolation within the Latino family. Barriers that are endured during a domestic violence situation are fear of deportation, obtaining legal services, language barriers and threats of having children taken away. Victims of domestic violence can obtain a protection order, which can keep the abuser from coming near you, attacking, sexually contacting you, your children, or other family members. ... In most states, you also can ask that the batterer be removed from your home and hat the batterer not interfere with your immigration status (Retrieved from WWW, May 2002, The National Elimination for Domestic Violence). ... Another reason for returning to their abusive partners was if their family income was between $10,001 and 20,000 (the highest income category in this sample). ... Assumptions: Based on our research within the Sacramento Area, there are minimal resources for Latino families to access in relations to domestic violence. Thus, based on our review there are four major issues, which arise within Latino families pertaining to domestic violence: 1. Language barriers and the need to keep the family together at any cost often decreases the likelihood for Latina women to seek assistance for domestic violence; 2. There is a lack of culturally appropriate services for Latino families who are victims of domestic violence within Sacramento, California; 3. Latino abusive husbands continue to batter their wives when no interventions are obtained; and 4. The issue of Machismo and traditional cultural views, within the Latino family, increases the likelihood of domestic violence. Justification: This study is warranted, as resources such as, counseling centers, and a manual concerning domestic for Latino families, within Sacramento, are scarce. Developing a manual, which details the issues of domestic violence within Latino families would possibly increase the outreach for this population within the Sacramento area. Delimitation: For the purpose of this study, we will be focusing on domestic violence against women and how it affects the whole family. ... This sub-population of women is especially important because with the abuse and violence they bare, they also have difficulties obtaining legal residential status. ... Al (2000), produced a quantitative literature review entitled, Marital Processes and Parental Socialization in Families of Color: A Decade Review of Research. The study was to examine decades of stereotypes pertaining to families of color, and the impact on marital relationships and domestic violence (Vonnie McLoyd, and ET. ... The study found that within all cultures, the main reason for differences in marital and family relationships is due to social locations. McLoyd and et al noted, “…Social locations rather than cultural differences are the source of ethnic and racial variations in marital relations, family formation and family lifestyles (2000, pg 1075).” This information is crucial as it assists with the understanding of societies family formations. In relation to Latinos, it has been assumed that the majority of problems within Latino marriages are due to machismo and marianismo. ... These two terms have had a negative impact for the Latino Community. The authors noted that, “Taken together (Machismo and Mariansimo) are exaggerated to the point of caricature, these Latino values have been used to paint a portrait of the ideal Latino family type as that of the self sacrificing mother and the dominant, tyrannical man (McLoyd, Cauce, & et. ... “Feminist re-interpretations focused on correcting such persistent stereotypes, underscoring that these families displayed a much greater diversity of gender role patterns that the emphasis on machismo would have us believe (2000, pg. ... ” The Latino community’s acculturation to American values and the need for socioeconomic gain has changed the family roles within Latino families. The authors noted, “Even working class Chicano men who held traditional values about marriage and gender roles counted on their wives’ income generated form work outside the home to increase their families’ standard of living and upward mobility (McLoyd, Cauce, & et. ... Although race and ethnicity are not reliable indicators of marital conflict, they are indicators to show the association of physical violence. “The 1985 National Family Violence Survey found higher rates of husband-to-wife violence and severe violence among both Blacks and Latinos, compared with Whites (McLoyd, Cauce, & ET. ... al (2000) indicated that there is moderate evidence to show that Mexican American women are more tolerant and conservative on their views of what contributes to domestic violence, and such abuse lasts longer within this culture. ... Despite the turmoil that violence can cause in households, children from families of color tend to develop a resiliency to domestic violence. ... Second, the increased embedded ness of children of color in extended family networks, compared with there European American counterparts (McLoyd, Cauce, & et. ... ” The overall implications of the research on marital processes and parental socialization in families of color assisted with dispelling the myth of machismo men and submissive wives within the Latino family. The research also brought to light that more longitudal studies need to be done in order to gain the full understanding about marital conflict within the Latino population. Julia Perilla (1999) conducted research concerning Latino immigrants and domestic violence. The research is entitled Domestic Violence as a Human Rights Issue: The Case of Immigrant Latinos. The research examined “The antecedents, dynamics, and effects of domestic abuse are explored, brining to bear the historical, philosophical, cultural, social, spiritual, and political realities of Latino immigrants in the United States (Perilla, 1999, pg. ... For example, it was noted that, “Early psychodynamic theories focused exclusively on the abused woman or on the man who battered, giving little if any attention to the manner in which the person-environment interaction may affect the dynamics of violence. ... ” Other theories on the matter such as, the family systems theory, suggest that abusive behavior is used by the most powerful family members to maintain superiority. Despite these past considerations, the author believes that domestic violence should be looked at from a human rights perspective. ... Thus, the term terrorism instead o domestic violence should be used, as the latter term carries a connotation of privacy and belittles the severity of the crime. Interestingly there are three basic ways terrorism is implemented: “(a) surprise and seemingly random (but actually well-planned) acts of violence, (b) psychological and physical warfare to silence protest and minimize opposition, and (c) the creation of an atmosphere of intimidation in which there is no way to escape (Perilla, 1999, pg. ... ” With all this in mind, how does this fit in with Latinos and domestic violence? The author suggests that there are many cultural factors that influence domestic violence within Latino families. Within Latino culture, the family is the centerpiece, and members have a sense of loyalty. Specifically, “Perilla described the Latino family as a, “Sealed container that provides safety for its members but does not necessarily allow people to be themselves (Perilla, 1999, pg. ... More so, Latino children are often pampered and overprotected. ... Perilla (1999) points out Latino boys are given more freedom to explore and ask questions, and they are given more resources and priority. Overall, the main reason that Latino men batter is that it is passed down from generation to generation. As a whole, men who batter do so for three reasons, “It works, men learned that violence is an option, and the consequences are minimal or nonexistent. In addition, Latino men experience more father-only violence as children. ... Latino men often deny any knowledge about such laws (Perilla, 1999, pg. ... ” Mayo and Resnick (1996) expanded on the impact of Machismo within Latino families in their article entitled, “The Impact of Machismo on Hispanic Women.” The article details the evolution of male superiority and acceptance of violence in Latin America. Latino women in the Untied Stated are caught between traditional family values and those of the American society. It was noted that, “Contrary to the polarized view of the Hispanic family as supportive, these systems, which are the root of Latin American society, have tended to discourage individual intuitive, imagination, and enterprise for women, whose history includes matrifocal family systems Machismo and Marianismo is instilled in the immediate family through extended male families and traditional legal system. ... Mayo and Resnick (1996) indicated that this could be do their need to be part of the workforce, which puts them higher on the social ladder and decreases their role in the family. However, being more assertive and verbal leads Latin women to become victims of domestic violence. It was stated that, “Resistance to this culture (traditional) often results in men’s additional physical or psychological violence against them, as well as women’s intense feelings of loneliness, despair, depression and such physical problems such as, ulcers (1996, Mayo and Resnick, pg. |
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Title: Preserve Your Family A Domestic Violence Manual for Latino Families in Sacramento County
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