Undocumented not "illegal.” Using the term illegal may alienate clients or cause others to further victimize them. Also most people may have come on a tourist, student, or work visa and stayed past the expiration date of their visa. It is not a crime not to have appropriate documentation. The stress of the immigration (for immigrants and refugees) experience. Rebuilding your life, not knowing the language, and assimilating into a new culture are unique aggravators in already difficult family dynamics. However, stress is not the cause of abuse. To walk with the woman, dialoguing every step of the way, so that we can obtain details about their culture, their community, their family, and their needs from the experts – the women themselves. Your own biases about that culture or community. Tapestri work with women and children from all over the world. Currently, we do not have the capacity to have caseworkers from each of the countries represented in Atlanta. This means that we also have to work with individuals outside our own cultures, ethnicities, languages, and religions. We have realized that we will never get to a point where we fully learn everyone else's culture. Instead we find that it makes sense for us to start by fully understanding our own culture, and how it shapes our values and beliefs. Beware of ethnocentricity in your agency. Ethnocentricity is the belief that your own ethnic group is superior, or normal and that other groups are abnormal. It is helpful to identify our beliefs to a point where we can understand how other groups differ, and respect those differences. Ethnocentricity leads to individuals making judgmental statements that may alienate the woman. Are there posters and materials that represent people from different cultures in your agency? Domestic violence occurs in all cultures. They just manifest themselves in different ways. The trauma, torture, and persecution women may have experienced in their home country. Not to use the cookbook approach, even women who speak the same language may practice different religions, follow different customs, and their families may be conservative or more liberal than the other families you have worked with. Lack of trust women may have of individuals not part of their community or family. Many refugees and immigrants were taught that it is not acceptable to talk about problems with people who are not members of their community. Women may not know options and laws. Lack of proficiency in the language can aggravate the situation. Don't assume someone does not speak English because they have an accent. Don't assume that they don't understand you either. Many individuals understand but are hesitant to speak for fear of not being understood. Take the time to listen carefully. Dietary habits. Many women cannot eat certain meats or food that has touched certain meat products. During certain holidays, many cultures fast in observance of their holidays. Making sure there are interpreters available for TPO hearings for both sides. Bilingual advocates should not have to been forced to interpret for both sides in temporary protective order hearings, divorces, or criminal hearings. Get the courts to have a budget for interpreters and have them scheduled before the court date to avoid rescheduling for an interpreter. To ensure the victim understands what is happening. Make sure interpreters are not only translating information for the victim but that she is also having defendant's testimony, lawyers and judges comments and questions also interpreted so she understands what is going on. Use AT&T language line when in doubt about a language. Law enforcement agencies in bigger cities usually have access to it. It's faster than finding a bilingual advocate in emergency situations, and you can find out what the victim needs quickly. You can also use this site – www.babelfish.altavista.com – to translate information into Spanish, French, German and a few other languages. This is only useful if the individual you are working with can read. Be aware that working with victims takes more time, patience, and resources. Make allowances for the time and resources needed to provide appropriate services for the victim. They have to still live in their community. Many victims won't prosecute because the perpetrator may be from their own community and may have made threats to come back or hurt family members if they call the police. Build your capacity as an agency to provide services to the multicultural communities in your community. Take time to find out what communities are out there and find ways to have individuals familiar with those communities on staff or a part of your agency (board, volunteers). Make budget allocations for interpretation, and translation. Make sure other needs are met first. Many victims may need food, housing, medical assistance, mental health needs or counseling for the trauma before they can feel comfortable addressing whether or not they will prosecute. The first point of contact is crucial. If the victim feels intimidated or disrespected with the first interaction you may not have any other interactions with that individual. Individuals can sense when you are being condescending, manipulative, and insincere. They can also tell when you are showing genuine concern even if you don't speak the language. Get to know the community before there is a crime. They are more likely to seek your help if they know you personally and have already built that trust. Being undocumented can make individuals more vulnerable being victimized. The fear/threat of deportation may keep individuals from reporting labor violations, crimes, and unsanitary conditions. Make sure you have ways to reach and communicate with individuals who may not read or write in their own language. There are new laws under VAWA 2000 which created new visas (T, U) for a limited group of crime victims who suffered substantial physical and mental injury as a result of the crime. The crimes include but are not limited to rape, sexual assault, torture, trafficking, domestic violence, prostitution, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, involuntary servitude, abduction, kidnapping, and being held hostage. In order to be eligible, law enforcement/prosecution (depending on what visa) must certify that the applicant has or will cooperate with the investigation. Deportation does not always keep victim safe. Many perpetrators came into the U.S. with false documents and can re-enter with the right connections. Divorced women can still apply for VAWA spousal abuse waiver even after she's been divorced as long as she applies within 2 years of her divorce and there is evidence/connection of domestic violence with the divorce. Women married to bigamists are eligible for the VAWA spousal abuse waiver as long as she participated in the marriage ceremony believing her marriage would be valid. Battered spouses convicted of crimes can receive relief and not be deported if they can show the conviction was related to the domestic violence.