Research on Domestic Violence in Pakistani, Indian Households
The Asian Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, is conducting a groundbreaking research project to enhance understanding of Asian battered women’s experiences with the criminal justice system. The findings of this project will help shape professional trainings and policy recommendations that will improve the quality of support the criminal justice system provides to Pakistani and Indian households in this country.
This project, called the Life History Calendar Study, comes at an important time considering the alarming rates of domestic violence. Raj and Silverman report that 41% of Indian women in their study experienced domestic violence, of which 65% also reported intimate sexual abuse. Women also report being abused by male and female in-laws and other members of the family [Journal of American Medical Women's Assoc.2002; 57(2)].
“For many abused women, contacting the criminal justice system is a huge issue and a matter of life or death in many circumstances. It is important that we understand Asian battered women’s unique needs, which call for different and/or additional criminal justice interventions,” says Atashi Chakravarty, Executive Director of Narika, a Bay area DV organization for the South Asian community.
The study is recruiting Pakistani and Indian women between the ages of 18-60 years, who have experienced abuse in current or past relationships while living in the Bay Area. Abuse includes being hit, kicked, pushed or slapped; forced to have sex; being followed or stalked after a relationship ends; being harassed with phone calls, text messages or e-mails; and/or being physically or sexually abused or stalked in other ways.
Call the Life History Calendar Study at 1-800-354-0386, or email pakistaninterview@gmail.com/indianinterview@gmail.com to arrange a confidential interview in English, Hindi, Punjabi or Urdu. Participants receive a $75 token of appreciation and limited taxi reimbursement.
Based at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum www.apiahf.org , the Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence is a national network of organizations and individuals and serves as a forum for information, research and resources, on critical issues about violence against women in Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
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