Yesterday, I attended a conference on serving immigrant survivors of family violence organized by a consortium of legal advocacy and domestic violence service organizations in Chicago.
The information shared was wonderful, as was the turnout. It was very heartening to see so many legal, mental health, and social service professionals who are passionate about serving those who are survivors of family violence and who are thoughtful in their questions and discussions of the issues involved in this very complex topic.
The biggest challenge I see is in the integration of services. Yesterday's conference focuses on the complexities language and cultural differences bring to the table of an already complex constellation of biological, social, and mental effects violence has on the individual survivor. But organizations that typically serve immigrants tend to focus on food, health, and jobs, and not on mental health, legal advocacy, and other "more complex" needs. So even at that level, we have a lack of integration of services. While these types of conferences are great at bringing everyone and the different issues to the table, let's hope that the conversations and the collaborations continue and deepen even after everyone returns to his or her respective organizations.
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