What happens when you come to America to marry the person you thought would take care of you, only to find yourself in an abusive family, losing all sense of self?

Guest producer Rosalind Tordesillas brings us this story about Joy, a woman whose dream marriage turned into a nightmare — and the advocates for survivors of domestic violence who helped her through the long journey to becoming whole.

Immigrant women like Joy often have an especially hard time getting help with domestic abuse because of immigration status, language, and cultural issues. Unfortunately, every one of these challenges has grown during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading Joy and her advocates at the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) to speak out.

In this episode, they share how Joy dealt with her situation and reveal the critical role that social workers, advocates, and lawyers play in supporting survivors who have no other path forward.

WARNING: Skip minutes 10:00-17:30 if you do not wish to hear descriptions of domestic abuse, including some graphic descriptions of violence. If this is an especially tough subject for you to hear about, then you may want consider skipping this episode.

Resources and Reading

If you are experiencing abuse or want to help someone who is, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233).

• The Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (includes a 24-hour multilingual hotline for Boston area residents)
• “A Pandemic Within a Pandemic — Intimate Partner Violence during COVID-19”
• “Study Finds Rise in Domestic Violence during COVID” by Alan Mozes for WebMD
• “Why Can’t the Senate Pass the Violence Against Women Act?” by Jay Willis for GQ
• U.S. Department of Justice Memo on the implications of Congress’ failure to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act  since 2019

Credits

• Produced by Rosalind Tordesillas
• Edited by James Boo and Mia Warren
• Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly
• Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound

This episode was made in partnership with Feet in 2 Worlds, a project that brings the work of immigrant journalists to digital news sites and public radio. Since their founding in 2004, Feet in 2 Worlds has brought the work of immigrant journalists from communities across the U.S. to public radio and online news sites.

Shoutouts

Thanks to Cristina Ayala (co-executive director) and the staff of ATASK for helping us produce this episode.

And big thanks to Blair Matsuura, one of our biggest supporters on Patreon!

If you want to join Blair in supporting our mission and making our work sustainable, please become a member at patreon.com/selfevidentshow.