Intersectionality, Immigration, and Domestic Violence

Out of the shadows: Shedding light on intimate partner homicide amongLatinawomen

“…Latina immigrants also face compounded challenges surviving and coping with domestic violence (Reina & Lohman, ; Vidales, ) due to fear of deportation (undocumented Latina immigrants) and difficulties acculturating (both documented and undocumented Latina immigrants). Acculturation can be defined as “the process of becoming ‘American,’ accustomed to and adopting U.S. cultural traits and social customs” (Erez & Harper, in press, n.p.). Collectively, these factors work to diminish Latinas' access to domestic violence resources (Reina & Lohman, ; Smedley, Stith, & Nelson, ) that may reduce IPH risk (Harper, ).…”

“…Latinas are more likely to rely on family to cope with abuse than on formal support sources (Fawcett et al, ; Silva‐Martinez & Murty, ). When compared to U.S.‐born Latinas, however, immigrant Latinas' families may be thousands of miles away and thus inaccessible to abused Latina immigrants when they need help (Erez, ; Erez & Harper, in press; Flicker et al, ; Vidales, ). This study's case processing and verdict characteristics are presented at the conclusion of Section 3.3.…”

“…There is minimal research that examines IPH among Latina immigrants specifically (see Sabina & Swatt, ). However, Latina immigrants who are abused may have reduced access to domestic violence resources (Erez & Harper, in press; Raj & Silverman, ) to deter IPH risk, which has troubling implications (Harper, ). For instance, the increased criminalization of immigration in recent years has decreased police help‐seeking among Latina immigrants (Erez & Harper, in press; Raj & Silverman, ).…”

“…However, Latina immigrants who are abused may have reduced access to domestic violence resources (Erez & Harper, in press; Raj & Silverman, ) to deter IPH risk, which has troubling implications (Harper, ). For instance, the increased criminalization of immigration in recent years has decreased police help‐seeking among Latina immigrants (Erez & Harper, in press; Raj & Silverman, ). Similarly, domestic violence shelters may not have translators or language‐specific services (Bauer, Rodriguez, Quiroga, & Flores‐Ortiz, ; Dutton, Orloff, & Aguilar‐Hass, ; Raj & Silverman, ; Sorenson, ) or culturally appropriate services (Raj & Silverman, ; Sokoloff, ), which minimizes the likelihood that Latina immigrants who are abused will seek out shelters.…”

“…Intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, ) posits that overlapping and intersecting race, class, and gender oppression shape Latinas' experiences of domestic violence, which may culminate in Latinas being killed by their abusers (Harper, ). The studies reviewed below do not specifically apply intersectionality theory; however, I analyze research findings utilizing several Latino cultural values and domestic violence studies that are intersectional in nature (e.g., Erez, Adelman, & Gregory, ; Erez & Harper, in press; Raj & Silverman, ). Additionally, as described below, Latino cultural values related to the importance of family (i.e., familismo ), female submissiveness (i.e., Marianismo ), and female likeability (i.e., simpatía ) may play an important role in shaping Latinas' (especially abused Latina immigrants) experiences of domestic violence (Marrs Fuchsel, ; Triandis, Marin, Lisansky, & Betancourt, ; Vidales, ) and IPH (Harper, ), yet the IPH literature fails to account for these factors when examining IPH offending and victimization among Latinas.…”