Asians reluctant to seek help for domestic violence
Asian-American victims of domestic violence rarely seek help from police or health care providers – “an alarming trend” among the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, says a Michigan State University researcher.
While cultural barriers can discourage victims from seeking help, there also is a lack of culturally sensitive services available to them, said Hyunkag Cho, assistant professor of social work.
That can be as simple as a local domestic violence hotline that cannot facilitate calls from Chinese- or Korean-speaking victims due to language barriers. And failing to get help the first time, Cho said, may prevent a victim from trying again.
“Authorities and health care providers need to be equipped with information and resources for adequately addressing the needs of victims of domestic violence among Asians and other racial minorities,” Cho said.
In a study published by the journal Violence Against Women, Cho found that Asian victims used mental health services only 5.3 percent of the time, while Latino victims used them 14.6 percent of the time.
Cho used survey data from about 350 victims culled from the National Latino and Asian-American Study.
In a second study, based on several national surveys and featured in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, he found that Asian victims of domestic violence were at least four times less likely to use mental health services than whites, blacks or Latinos.
In his native Korea, Cho said he had friends who refused to seek help for domestic violence. In many Asian cultures, seeking help can be seen as shameful to the victim and the victim’s family.
Cho believes authorities should focus on the development of affordable, culturally sensitive services for to Asia-Americans. He believes policymakers and other experts have placed too much emphasis on the effects of individual and cultural barriers.
“We need to look at the bigger picture,” Cho said. “We need more outreach efforts to increase access to domestic violence services.”
ASIANS RELUCTANT TO SEEK HELP FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?? FIRST OF ALL, A LOT OF ASIAN WOMEN KNOW TAE KWON DO, JUDO AND OTHER SIMILAR MARTIAL ARTS ENABLING THEM TO BEAT THEIR SPOUSE TO A PULP!! 🙂 THE OTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE WITH THIS ARTICLE IS THAT MANY ASIAN WOMEN JUST LIKE ALL WOMEN CAN LEAVE A MENTALLY AND/OR PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE SITUATION BUT THEY CHOOSE NOT TO DO SO SOLELY FOR FINANCIAL AND STATUS REASONS. THIS BASICALLY TELLS MEE THAT ASIAN WOMEN WOULD RATHER HAVE A BETTER LIFESTYLE AND A HIGHER STATUS IN SOCIETY THAN SACRIFICE ENDING THE UNION FOR THEIR HEALTH AND FREEDOM. THERE ARE MORE WOMEN LIKE THAT ACROSS ALL ETHNIC GROUPS THAN NOT. THEIR MOTTO IS “SHOW MEE THE MONEY,” SUPPORT MEI CAUSES AND MEI COMPANY AND PUT ON A GREAT SHOW THAT WEI ARE THE HAPPY LOVING COUPLE IN FRONT OF THE COMMUNITY AT ANY COST=RAMPANT CHEATING, PHYSICAL ABUSE, AND MENTAL ABUSE ALLOWED!! I WITNESS IT ALL THE TIME IN THIS COUNTRY!! I’VE WORKED FOR A FEW MEN WHO WOULD GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO HUMILIATE, ABUSE AND GET RID OF THE WIFE AND SHE WOULD ACTUALLY COME BACK BEGGING FOR MORE=MONEY AND STATUS, THAT IS!! TRUST MEE, THEY FEEL THAT THE ABUSE IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR THE OTHER REWARDS!! ONE OR TWO OF THEM WOULD ACTUALLY GET INVOLVED WITH WOMENS’ DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ISSUES “TO HELP OTHERS” WEN IN REALITY THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE SO BADLY ABUSED!! WEN A MAN ABUSES HIS SPOUSE IN ANY WAY HE IS TELLING HER THAT IT IS OVER AND TO SET HIM FREE!! THESE WOMEN HAVE STOCKHOLM SYNDROME AND THERE ARE ALWAYS 3 SIDES TO EVERY STORY=HER SIDE, HIS SIDE AND THE REAL TRUTH OF THE MATTER!! 🙁