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Help for non-English-speaking domestic violence
victims
 SEATTLE – Mayor Greg Nickels announced the
launch of an innovative toll-free hotline for non-English-speaking
victims of domestic violence. The 1-888 number offers one-call
access that connects limited-English speaking domestic violence
victims to services they need in their language. It is the first
such service in the country.
The “Peace in the Home” Toll-Free Helpline – 1-888-847-7205 –
links to a menu of 14 languages and directly connects callers to a
community-based agency that can serve their language and service
needs.
“This helpline will offer assistance to our city’s most
vulnerable: refugee and immigrant victims of domestic violence who
don’t speak English as a first language,” said Nickels. “We can
connect these women to the services they need, and the hope for a
better life.” [Emphasis added]
The Multilingual Access Project (MAP), a group of community
agencies providing domestic violence services to non- and
limited-English speaking immigrants and refugees, came up with the
idea. A single-line phone access system has been a long-standing
priority for MAP.
“Given culture and language barriers, finding help for immigrant
and refugee victims of domestic violence can be especially
difficult,” said Someireh Amirfaiz, executive director of the
Refugee Women’s Alliance, one of the MAP organizations. “The
toll-free helpline will greatly improve access to domestic
violence services for refugees and immigrants.”
Calls to the Helpline are connected to multilingual domestic
violence advocates at one of seven community agencies in the
Seattle/King County area, including: Asian & Pacific Islander
Women & Family Safety Center, Chaya, Consejo Counseling and
Referral Service, Domestic Abuse Women’s Network, Eastside Domestic
Violence Program, Refugee Women’s Alliance, and the YWCA of south
King County.
The Helpline offers services in 14 languages: Amarinya or
Amharic, Japanese, Khmer, Lao, Mandarin, Romanian, Russian, Somali,
Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Hindi
will be added in the coming months.
Developed and funded by the city of Seattle’s Human Services
Department, the Helpline costs about $6,000 per year to operate.
In 2007, 493 immigrants or refugees used city-funded programs for
victims of domestic violence. In Seattle, foreign-born persons make
up 17 percent of the city’s population but access city-funded
domestic violence services at a much higher proportion.
The city of Seattle has a long-standing commitment to addressing
domestic violence. The city’s investment to fight domestic violence
and to provide services and support for victims has steadily
increased over the years, reaching $16 million in 2007.
Most of the city’s investment – 75 percent – is spent on criminal
justice (through the Police and Law Departments and the Municipal
Court). Twenty-five percent of funding is spent in the Human
Services Department, mostly for contracting with community-based
agencies for victim services, batterer intervention programs,
prevention programs, and homelessness.
In addition to the helpline, the city will increase interpreter
services to assist limited-English speaking immigrant and refugee
victims of domestic violence in accessing needed services.
Peace
in the Home Helpline Information Translated into 14 Languages -
Acrobat PDF
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Office of the
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