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Despite popular media glossing over the harm and ubiquity of intimate partner violence (or IPV, sometimes referred to as domestic violence), it’s more important than ever for our community to talk frankly about this alarming trend.
In 2022, the World Bank published a blog on intimate partner violence, stating that the prevalence of IPV is 35% higher in South Asians than other populations globally. Interestingly enough, research focused on IPV in South Asians in the United States in the late 1990s show similar rates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines IPV as abuse or aggression in a romantic relationship and categorizes IPV into four types: physical, sexual, psychological, and stalking. The context and dynamics of IPV can be influenced by cultural, social, and economic factors specific to South Asian populations.
Breaking the silence around IPV within South Asian communities is a significant challenge. Advocacy efforts focus on reducing stigma and encouraging open dialogue. Many advocacy groups work to ensure that IPV survivors have access to appropriate legal and support services. This includes lobbying for better protections and resources for marginalized communities.
Addressing IPV within South Asian communities in the U.S. requires a nuanced approach that respects our cultural values while promoting safety and justice.
SAPHA proudly supports a number of organizations that specialize in addressing IPV, ensuring privacy and safety for individuals involved. These organizations include:
Sakhi: Sakhi focuses their work on South Asian and Indo-Caribbean survivors through a combination of efforts including—but not limited to—culturally competent direct services such as a helpline, counseling, advocacy, housing assistance, economic empowerment, food justice, elder abuse intervention, and youth programs that honor the collective and inherent power of all survivors of violence.
Manavi: Manavi is the first organization in the United States dedicated to ending all forms of violence against South Asian survivors. Using a survivor-centered approach, Manavi provides culturally specific and linguistically appropriate services to South Asian survivors of gender-based violence. Manavi’s staff and volunteers are bilingual—speaking over 14 different South Asian languages.
Maitri: Maitri is a free, confidential, nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area that primarily helps families and individuals from South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives) facing domestic violence, emotional abuse, cultural alienation, or family conflict.
Maitri has also compiled a list of Domestic Violence Agencies for South Asians
resources for South Asian survivors .
If you or someone you know needs to escape a dangerous IPV situation, please seek help immediately. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at by calling 800-799-7233 or by texting BEGIN to 88788.
There is significant evidence that substance use can precipitate or exacerbate intimate partner violence. Substance use can impair judgment, lower inhibitions, and increase aggressive behavior, which may lead to violence. On the other hand, individuals who overuse substances may also find themselves at greater risk of experiencing cycles of IPV, particularly if their substance use impairs their ability to negotiate or resist abusive behavior. Sadly, substance use can also become a means of coping for individuals experiencing IPV as well.
For these reasons, SAPHA sees National Recovery Month as a meaningful step towards not only supporting our community members dealing with substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction, but also as a meaningful way to reduce risk factors for IPV in our communities.
To learn more, join us for our Advocacy Workshop on Wednesday, 10/9.
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