Around the world, domestic violence has spiked due to lockdowns during #coronavirus. Immigrants find it particularly hard to seek help. I write for @thewire_in on how South Asian domestic violence survivors in Silicon Valley grapple with the #CovidLockdown https://thewire.in/women/south-asian-domestic-violence-survivors-in-silicon-valley-grapple-with-covid-19-lockdown

A South Asian woman in the San Francisco Bay Area attempted suicide twice as she found herself confined to the house with an abusive spouse. A healthcare worker came home from a long day at work and was beaten by her husband who said she would spread #Covid_19 to the family.

Many helplines have seen a decline in calls during the #coronaviruslockdown as many women find it hard to make phone calls when their husbands are at home with them. Nonprofits supporting domestic violence survivors are working overtime to provide support in these hard times.

Here are the helpline numbers for organisations in the San Francisco Bay Area that support South Asian women domestic violence survivors.

Many South Asians in Silicon Valley are recent immigrants with no family support system. Some don’t drive, are dependent on their husbands & don’t speak good English. Many are from countries where calling the cops is never a 1st option. Some don’t even know the number 911.

South Asians face additional cultural barriers to seeking and accessing help. We come from cultures where saving face and looking good are more important than taking care of one’s own mental health.

When it comes to choosing b/w homelessness & living with an abusive partner, an average South Asian woman will continue living with an abusive spouse. This is not so for some other communities in the US where women leave abusive partners even if it means a period of homelessness.

Often a woman’s immigration status is tied to her husband’s. In some other immigrant communities, women leave their husbands even if it means they will be undocumented for a while. But being undocumented is blasphemous for many South Asian women.