Culture and legal status have become two major obstacles in overcoming domestic violence among the Hispanic population in Utah County, Centro Hispano officials said.

Provo Police Department and Centro Hispano, a non-profit organization dedicated to linking and mentoring Hispanics in Utah County, conduct a domestic violence support group every Thursday night. The groups are designed to help people who are affected by domestic violence to overcome the cultural and legal barriers that are keeping them in abusive situations, said Anita Savio, strategic development officer at Centro Hispano.

Many victims, a majority of whom are women, don't recognize themselves as a victims, which makes it harder for authorities to track and help victims of this crime, Savio said.

"Many of them come from a macho culture and [they] tend to be passive around men," she said.

Although Hispanic families often place great value in family life, when it comes to domestic violence, victims don't report it. Many victims consider [domestic violence] a private family affair, and feel ashamed talking to people about it, Savio said.

Legal status in the country complicates the situation for undocumented immigrant victims.

Victims of domestic violence, who are undocumented immigrants, tend to not report the abuses they suffer at home, because they're afraid of being deported, Savio said.

There are also citizens and legal residents who are married to undocumented immigrants. In many cases they don't report the abuses because their partners are the only financial support they have.

This situation leads to unreported cases, because the victims fear their partners are going to be deported after the police start an investigation of the case, leaving them without the financial support they need, Savio said.

The therapy group consists of 12 classes, in which the victims, women and children have the opportunity to meet with therapists to help victims process the experiences they have gone through.

" It isn't only the physical abuse, but the emotional damage that doesn't go away easily," said Suelen Medina, victim advocate in for the Provo Police Department victim services program.

Part of this program is to guide victims through the legal system and its resources, Medina said.

The U-visa, a temporary work permit for undocumented victims of crimes such as domestic violence, is one of the resources that can be used by those victims who are undocumented.

The purpose of this visa is to provide a way to find a job that allows the undocumented workers to become independent, since in most cases the victim takes care of the children, Medina said.

The domestic violence group at Centro Hispano is the only group in Utah County that conducts this type of therapy in Spanish.

The group, which has been meeting for about three years, has a current attendance of about 16 children and 12 female adults.

Copyright Brigham Young University 30 Oct 2007