Policy Advocacy
The Domestic violence awareness month DVAM 2021 came and went with a lot of uncertainty and anxiety as the world continued to deal with the Pandemic second year in a row. For agencies serving immigrant population, the pandemic has expanded beyond the immediate surroundings of our lives. Most clients, staff and volunteers of Maitri have been living with loss of family, friends and dear ones in South Asia. Faced with this agonizing challenge, we focused on searching for glimmers of hope in the anti-violence movement.
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Maitri's Immigration Program Since 2011
If I were to sum up the understanding I gained from 10 years of service to survivors of domestic violence in Maitri immigration program in one sentence, this would be it: Immigration reform cannot solely focus on self-petitioning options for victims and survivors instead, addressing domestic violence needs a thorough overhaul and comprehensive reform of the system.
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month - October 2020
This year the Domestic Violence Awareness Month #DVAM seems different. We are not holding rallies wearing purple, not meeting with policy makers and systems leadership demanding reform; yet we renew our efforts to achieve even more than before. We have been living through 2020 in a pandemic, raging fire and climate change induced extreme weather in California. While these extraneous circumstances have turned many lives upside down, today, we ask you to remember & recognize the most vulnerable – victims and survivors of domestic violence.
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A Year in Policy Advocacy
Since its inception in 1991, Maitri has focused on the wellbeing of survivors generally and South Asian immigrants specifically in the Bay Area. Policy Advocacy has always been part of our mission to integrate immigrants into mainstream American society. We continue the effort each year in a bigger and better way. Our core demands remain the same: language access at various points of contact for the LEP individuals, support for comprehensive immigration reform, condemning sex-selective abortion targeted towards the Asian community, universal background checks for firearms purchase and trauma informed care at service providers.
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Dr. Mukta Sharangpani's Statement on the Need for Developing Cultural Responsiveness
I speak on this topic as a gender anthropologist and volunteer at Maitri, a Domestic Violence Service provider agency in San Jose. I approach this from the perspective of how knowledge shapes power, and how we can develop the skills and the attitude to work with those who appear and might be different from us…
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Elder Abuse in the South Asian Community
Excerpts from Zakia Afrin’s radio interview with Shailaja Dixit at Radio Zindagi aired 05/27/19.
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