Domestic violence is an issue across the country for both men and women. A new study looks at this issue specifically in the Latino community.
More than half of Latinos in the United States know a victim of domestic violence and one in four know a victim of sexual assault. This comes from a study done by “No Mas” as part of the "No More" campaign to end sexual and domestic violence.
The study specifically looks at the fastest growing community in the U.S.
"The barriers that Latinas and especially immigrants face and especially undocumented immigrants face, are different than the general population. One of the number one things that people mentioned they thought was a reason why victims didn’t come forward was the fear of deportation and fear that their kids would be removed," said Juan Carlos Arean, senior director of the National Latina Network.
Arean said the study found that Latino men often do not intervene due to a fear of themselves getting in trouble.
Arean also said these fears can be higher in border states like Arizona.
"It’s time in Arizona that acknowledge that we have a large Latino population and they need to be cared for and most of them are not here causing crimes. And if they are a victim of a crime, they should be taken care of and be able to access the same relief and resources that non-immigrants are using," said Jessye Johnson of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Arean said the study has people are talking about domestic violence and he said the first step to solving this problem is making people aware of it.
