Immigrant women have little recourse when facing abuse

That may change soon if the "Women Immigrants Safe Harbor (WISH) Act," which is in both House and Senate, passes.

Immigrant women who are facing spousal abuse can currently receive one month’s stay at a family crisis center. After that, most are forced to return to the abusive environment they left behind.

Sister Janice Thome OP, works with immigrant families in and around Garden City, and has lost count of the number of women who are in abusive, or potentially abusive, situations. She said that the WISH Act would remove most barriers keeping immigrant women from receiving federal assistance, such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), food stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

In 1996, welfare reform slashed federal assistance programs for many families. The WISH Act, Sister Janice explained, would "help the women get relocated and to get some type of work to support their families so they don’t have to stay in an abusive situation. A lady I work with said, ‘Yes, I can go back to Mexico and live with my dad, but Dad already has three grandkids living with him, and they go hungry sometimes. If me and my four kids go there, we’ll all be hungry all the time.’ This would give them another way out."

The WISH Act would eliminate the five-year barrier that keeps immigrant women from receiving federal assistance. It would also help ensure that immigrant victims of trafficking, crime, and sexual assault are able to assess federal programs they need, thus protecting themselves from further violence.

The program would offer crucial aid to those with low incomes who are unable to support themselves outside of the home in which they are abused.

As the bill awaits final consideration in Washington, DC, Sister Janice is working tirelessly to help needy immigrant families through the "Dominican Sisters Ministry of Presence." Each day, Sister Janice may deliver groceries, help a family sort through legal documents, drive someone to a medical appointment, or simply sit and chat.

For those women facing domestic violence issues, her weekly visit may bring an answer that no federal program can provide. "What it does is give her another adult to relate to who treats her with dignity," Sister Janice said. "It gives her something to look forward to so there is a ‘positive’ in her week to come. Often I translate mail, help with medical issues, take them to some appointments. Therefore the husband doesn’t get upset, because he sees me as a positive factor for the family." The family she is currently visiting is the third for which her visits have "helped change the situation."

"Think of mobiles hanging from the ceiling," she said. "If you touch one, it moves the whole dynamic. By helping the woman to have a renewed hope in life -- to have self esteem, to know she is worth someone else’s time -- she becomes less vulnerable and gains some kind of inner strength. In these three cases, the husbands backed off the abuse, to begin with, because they thought I’d report them. As time went on, the situations became far more positive."

Yet, for all the positive stories, there are dozens of stories of continued abuse, or of women living in potentially abusive environments who either stay until the situation worsens, or leave and then quickly return due to their inability to sustain themselves outside of the home.

"I work with many other families where it’s happened in the past and could happen again," Sister Janice said. "They come from a culture where that kind of thing is not seen as abusive, much like the United States was in the 50s and even in the 60s when we thought it a ‘personal’ problem."

Sister Janice invites individuals to contact their representatives in Washington, DC, and ask them to pass the WISH Act. Senator Sam Brownback can be reached in Washington, DC at (202) 224-6521 or in Kansas City at (913) 492-6378. Senator Pat Roberts can be reached in Washington, DC at (202) 224-4774 or in Prairie Village at (316) 263-0416.

Editor’s note: Sister Janice is hoping to find a bilingual woman who would consider joining her -- full or part time -- in her ministry to immigrant families. For more information, call her at (620) 276-5387.