Domestic Violence Doesn't Discriminate

JANA KRAMER: "When I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore’ he sent me a photo of my dogs on the freeway and said, ‘I’m going to let them go if you don’t come home’,” she says. “He’d kick me out of the house, I’d sleep in the car and then that next morning I’d be with him in bed again.”

I would like to highlight a story I read last weekend about Jana Kramer, a celebrity and a domestic violence survivor. When you look at her pictures Jana Kramer radiates positivity and self-confidence. But just eleven years ago she was living with a man who was subjecting her to ongoing abuse and nearly killed her.

Ms. Kramer’s candid account of her life at the time she was abused sheds light on what victims of domestic violence deal with all over the globe. It also shows how there is not one “type” of a woman who is likely to become a victim of domestic violence. The truth is, a victim of domestic violence can be of any race, financial status, level of education, age, or even gender. You can watch a powerful TED talk by Leslie Morgan Steiner who discusses the reasons why victims of domestic violence have a difficult time leaving their abusers. Luckily, there are organizations in the United States, which help victims escape their abusers and get back on their feet again. Here is a link to New York based assistance and here is a link to National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Victims of violence, who do not have a legal immigration status in the United States, may be eligible to apply for immigration relief such as U-visa, VAWA relief, T-visa, asylum to name a few. Each category will be discussed in later posts.