Asserting $3M for Culturally Particular Gender Based mostly Violence Initiative
Photograph Credit score: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
Queens Council Members Sandra Ung, Linda Lee, and Shekar Krishnan joined Brooklyn Council Member Susan Zhuang and anti-gender-based violence advocates at Metropolis Corridor on Tuesday to have a good time a brand new $3 million initiative, which funds organizations that present culturally competent companies for immigrant survivors of home violence.
The elected officers joined members of The Collective, a coalition of culturally-specific gender-based violence service suppliers serving immigrant and BIPOC survivors in New York Metropolis, to have a good time the creation of a brand new Metropolis Council initiative funding culturally competent companies.
The $3 million Culturally Particular Gender Based mostly Violence Initiative funds organizations that present companies akin to interpretation, referrals, counseling and authorized illustration for U Visas and T Visas for survivors of gender-based violence.
Advocates stated the brand new initiative will assist tackle disparities in funding resulting from underreporting of home violence in immigrant communities and develop entry to companies to survivors within the languages that they converse.
Representatives from organizations together with Korean American Household Service Heart, Sauti Yeti Heart for African Ladies, Protected Horizon, Turning Level for Ladies + Households, Womankind, Asiyah Ladies’s Heart and Ladies for Afghan Ladies joined elected officers on the steps of Metropolis Corridor on Tuesday to have a good time the initiative.
Photograph Credit score: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
Advocates said that the initiative expands on the impression of the Home Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative, which offers free and compassionate care to victims of home violence, elder abuse and bodily and sexual assault.
In an announcement issued on Tuesday, Ung stated the $3 million funding will assist fill a “critical and long-overlooked need in immigrant communities” by breaking cultural and language boundaries that usually depart survivors remoted and with out assist. She described the initiative as a “powerful step” towards guaranteeing that every one survivors have a path towards security and justice.
Photograph Credit score: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
“As a former attorney working with survivors of domestic violence, I witnessed firsthand how life-changing it is to have access to service providers who not only speak your language but also understand your cultural background,” Ung stated in an announcement.
Krishnan, in the meantime, described the funding as “historic” and stated it might assist be sure that all victims of gender-based violence obtain assist.
Photograph Credit score: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
“Every victim of violence deserves to be heard, seen, and supported, but we cannot accomplish that if we aren’t reaching people in their languages and through their cultures,” Krishnan stated.
Lee described gender-based violence as a “hidden epidemic” that disproportionately impacts immigrant New Yorkers.
Photograph Credit score: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
“Many cases go unreported due to limited awareness and a lack of culturally and linguistically competent resources for survivors. That’s why I’m proud to join my City Council colleagues in securing $3 million in funding to confront this longstanding issue and connect individuals with lifesaving support,” Lee stated.
Zhuang stated boundaries to assist might be lethal for the victims of gender-based violence, including that the initiative will present a “life-saving step forward” for survivors throughout town.
“Every day, I help immigrants who fear seeking support or can’t access any support because of language barriers,” Zhuang stated.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who didn’t attend Tuesday’s occasion however did co-sponsor the laws, stated language boundaries, concern of retaliation, and cultural stigma typically forestall survivors from accessing life-saving companies.
Adams and Ung lately co‑authored an op‑ed for QNS titled “Empowering survivors by investing in the communities that know them best,” underscoring the significance of culturally competent assist for immigrant survivors.
“This initiative will deliver critical, culturally competent support to communities that have long been overlooked,” Adams stated in an announcement.
Zeinab Eyega, government director of the Sauti Yetu Heart for African Ladies described the funding as a “lifeline” for gender-based violence survivors.
“More than just a budget line, this funding from the NYC Council is a lifeline that empowers immigrant survivors to reclaim their lives in safety and with dignity,” Eyega stated.
In the meantime, Kelly Coyne, chief program officer at Protected Horizon, stated New York Metropolis is a safer place when immigrant communities have entry to authorized illustration and wraparound companies, whereas Womankind CEO Yasmeen Hamza stated the funding would assist survivors on their households on their “healing journeys.”
