Immigrant Survivors

tactics of abuse

Immigration status can be used as a way to exert power and control by an abusive partner, and survivors may face additional barriers to escaping abuse including fear of police and authorities, lack of knowledge about legal protections, language barriers, cultural pressures, isolation, and lack of financial resources.

Abusive partners may use the following tactics:

• Isolation: Preventing the victim from learning English or communicating with friends, family, or others from their home countries.
• Threats: Threatening deportation or withdrawal of petitions for legal status.
• Intimidation: Destroying legal documents or papers needed in this country such as passports, resident cards, health insurance, or driver’s licenses.
• Manipulation regarding citizenship or residency: Withdrawing or not filing papers for residency; lying by threatening that the victim will lose their citizenship or residency if they report the violence.
• Economic abuse: Getting the victim fired from their job or calling employers and falsely reporting that the victim is undocumented.
• Children: Threatening to hurt children or take them away if the police are contacted.

Both Futures Without Violence and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence have additional information available, and the Power and Control Wheel is available for immigrant survivors in both English and Spanish.

community partners

We work closely with community partners to provide culturally-specific services and co-advocacy for survivors in our programs.

Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)

Russian Oregon Social Services

El Programa Hispano – Proyecto UNICA