Congresswoman Speaks Out Against Domestic Violence

So, I recently came across an issue of Latina Voices featuring California Congresswoman Loretta Sánchez in which she addresses the issue of Domestic Violence. I have decided to share with you some of the information with you in this post.

In case you are unfamiliar with Loretta Sánchez let me begin by stating that she has made protecting families from domestic violence a priority for the entirety of her seven terms on Capitol Hill. As one of only 74 females serving in the 435-member House of Reprehensive — and one of just seven Latinas — Sánchez has spearheaded the zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse in the military and established the Family Justice Center in her home district in Orange County. The center offers help in English and Spanish for victims of domestic abuse. he 49-year-old Democrat serves as vice-chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and on the 10-member bicameral Economic Committee, which monitors such national vital signs as unemployment, foreclosures and interest rates.

Currently she is on a mission to educate the public on the correlation between domestic violence and poverty. She says that when people have financial problems, that’s when domestic violence increases. Seventy percent of the reasons people fight within a marriage has to do with financial reasons.

She says that in Latino/a cultures domestic violence is not more acceptable, but it is less talked about, so when it happens less help is available. She says the biggest thing is educating the community. Violence, domestic violence, is allowed to happen because people don’t speak up and say “Stop it already!” Women are afraid to say something because it’s quote “part of the Hispanic culture.”

Part of the challenge for the Hispanic culture, she says, is when we look at the studies, the first ones to be let go at jobs are usually minorities and women. Hispanics tend to lose their jobs sooner, more widely and they begin with lower income anyway, so they are probably stretched even further at this point. Many Hispanics families, especially new immigrant families, face even bigger stress factors. For example, they might have a family member who does not have the right documentation and is forced to leave the country.

In the end, she concludes that she knows the effect it has on a family and the effect it has on a woman. She also understands the effect it has on children. "We just need to work to stop it. We need to have the tools available to those women who are strong enough to move out of that situation and want to change," she says.