“Saheli Means Friend”: Exploring Gendered Domestic Violence and Healthy Relationships in South Asian Immigrant Communities
Kiani, Marwah A.
2022
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Domestic violence (DV) against South Asian Immigrant (SAI) women is prevalent in the United States. Studies have shown that the prevalence for DV against SAI women ranges from 21%-61%. SAI women experience many forms of abuse including physical, sexual financial and emotional abuse, with a core part of these forms of abuse rooted in the need for abusers to exercise power and control. This qualitative ... read morestudy aims to understand the sociocultural dimensions of abuse that SAI survivors experience through interviews with DV advocates and understand ideas of healthy relationships within the South Asian community through focus groups with South Asian community members. In total, researchers interviewed 7 DV advocates and conducted 3 focus groups with a total of 10 community members. Thematic analysis of the interviews yielded the following themes: 1) “Saheli Means Friend” 2) The “Aunty Factor” 3) Abuse is a Learned Behavior and 4) The Non-Linear Experience of Abuse. In the focus groups, the themes were 1) Relationship Advice (Rishte Nebhana) 2) A Community Affair (Humara Moishra) 3) Kids are Sponges (Bache Dekhne se Sikhte Hain) and 4) Be the Change You Want to See: (Tabdili). Together these findings show exemplified an emphasis on the need to empower women towards independence as a part of leaving abuse, a dualistic attitude towards culture and community that has positive and negative attributes, and lastly a push towards focusing on intergenerational healing to combat cycles of abuse.
Thesis (B.A.)--Tufts University, 2022.
Submitted to the Dept. of Community Health.
Committee: Shalini Tendulkar and Sarah Pinto.read less - ID:
- vx021v477
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