research to practice: women of color and victimization - implications for services

Research to Practice:

COVA ConferenceOctober 19, 2009Marti Kovener & Ana Soler

Women of Color and Victimization -Implications for Services

female victimization rates for serious violent crime

BJS Special Report Violent Victimizationand Race, 1993-98, March 2001, NCJ 176354, www.ncjrs.gov

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

American Indian

Black White Asian

Rate Per 1000

Rate Per 1000

reporting of crime

acculturation

Interpersonal Victimization and Help-Seeking in a National Sample of Latino Women: Initial Results from the SALAS Study, Chiara Sabina , Penn State Harrisburg and Carlos Cuevas, Northeastern University, 2009

Latina immigrants had a lower rate of interpersonal victimization

The higher the score of Anglo acculturation, the higher the rate for all types of victimization (DV, SA, stalking)

help seeking behaviors

Interpersonal Victimization and Help-Seeking in a National Sample of Latino Women: Initial Results from the SALAS Study, Chiara Sabina , Penn State Harrisburg and Carlos Cuevas, Northeastern University, 2009

77% sought help

formal (69%)

informal (31%)

both (25%)

sources of formal and informal help

Interpersonal Victimization and Help-Seeking in a National Sample of Latino Women: Initial Results from the SALAS Study, Chiara Sabina , Penn State Harrisburg and Carlos Cuevas, Northeastern University, 2009

formal informal

Medical – 35%

Law Enforcement – 17%

R.O. – 11%

Criminal Charges – 11%

Agency – 10%

Parents – 27%

Friend – 21%

Sibling – 14%

Clergy – 6%

other factors

Perpetrators of sexual assault against White victims are still more likely to be convicted

67% of low-income, welfare dependentBlack women had experienced a previoussexual assault

76% of African American survivors attributed their rape to the riskiness of their living situations (e.g., “I was living in a bad neighborhood”)

Distrust of police is more widespread in communities of color

Campbell, R. Preliminary Findings presented to NIJ June 2009

Honeycutt, Marshall, & Weston (2001) Violence Against Women, Vol. 7.

Wyatt, GE (1992) Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 48.

Brunson, R (2007) Criminology and Public Policy, Vol .6.

culturally based services

Contextualizing Rape: Reviewing sequelae andproposing a culturally inclusive ecological model of sexual assault recovery. Neville, H. A., & Heppner, M. J. (1999).Applied & PreventivePsychology, 8, 41-62.

African Americans who participated in culturally specific intervention programs found the information to be more personally relevant to them and were more motivated to hear the message.

inclusivity in domestic violence shelters

•Study conducted in 8 states -CT, FL, IL, MI, NM, OK, TN, WA)•215 programs surveyed, 3410 residents

•36 languages spoken by shelter staff•82% had staff who spoke a language other then English•72% had at least one Spanish-speaking staff member•77% of residents surveyed agreed that “It seemed like a place for people like me.”•76% of residents felt their racial background was respected

Meeting Survivors’ Needs: A Multi-State Study of Domestic Violence Shelter Experiences, 2008Eleanor Lyon, Shannon Lane, and Anne Menard, National Institute of Justice (October 2008)http://new.vawnet.org//category/index_pages.php?category_id=936

community engagement

Casa de Esperanza case study

social marketing

what does culture mean to us?

awareness test

application

contact

Ana Soler -

Marti Kovener –marti.kovener@capacity360.org

For copies of presentation materials: