Korean Organization Works to Break the Silence About Domestic Violence

by Stephanie Colombini | 04/06/2015 | 5:22pm

Korean Organization Works to Break the Silence About Domestic Violence

Cultural barriers in New York City's ethnic communities can make it significantly harder for victims of domestic violence to get assistance. WFUV's Stephanie Colombini visited one organization that works to tackle those hurdles for Korean Americans.

The building that houses the Korean American Family Service Center in Flushing, Queens is unmarked.  There are no signs; the address is confidential. That makes it a perfect safe haven for domestic violence victims seeking refuge from their abusers.

Inside, a small staff of women are busy taking phone calls and coordinating KAFSC's numerous services.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It's no surprise Korean is the dominant language around the office.  Program Director Jeehae Fischer says the center runs the only 24-hour bilingual Korean-English hotline on the East Coast.
 
"Im sure [domestic violence victims] feel satisfied that they could even say, 'Hello,' in Korean, and someone will answered you, 'Hello," in Korean," Fischer says.
 
Language barriers are among the many obstacles Korean domestic violence victims face when trying to get help in New York City.  Census data indicates nearly half the Korean American population has Limited English Proficiency.  
 
"It's really difficult [for vicitms] to describe what happened to them even with their own language," Fischer says.  "For them to describe it in another language that they're not familiar with is really, really traumatic."
 
But Fischer says it's not just language barriers that force many Korean domestic violence victims, primarily women, to remain silent. 
 
"Anything that happens in the household should be kept in the family," Fischer says.  "You're not supposed to talk about it with your friends, you're not supposed to talk about it with your neighbors; that's just the culture for Korean Americans.  So a lot of times, it's kept in dark secret."
 
Fischer says women tend to come to KAFSC when their situation at home gets too severe to handle internally.
 
Martha Jung Won Hong's been a volunteer at the center for the past decade.  She says it never gets easy to be on the receiving end of call into the hotline.
 
"After ten years of service, still when I receive a phone call, my heart starts racing," Jung says.  "I just want to make sure I answer right; and sometimes it can be an emergency, so you get under pressure a little bit. The most challenging thing for me is to quickly build a trust with these women over the phone in the first few seconds."
 
Jung says once she's established a connection, the client can come to KAFSC's secret location.  The center helps them access temporary housing, as well crucial legal services, like obtaining immigrant status and orders of protection from their abusers.  Jung says it also offers counseling, English classes, job training, and even childcare.
 
"I believe, as a mother, that the woman, and the mother, is the backbone of the family institution, so if the mother is shaking, the whole family is shaking," Jung says.  "We're not only helping the women, but I know we're also helping the children that are the future."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(photo provided by KAFSC)
 
Jung specifically recalls one woman who came to the center for help.  She taught her how to use e-mail in a computer skills class so she could communicate with her son, who was fighting in Iraq.
 
"When she first received her son's e-mail, she says she was hugging her computer and crying in tears," Jung says.  "Hearing all this, it makes me go on every day and want to help a little bit more."
 
No clients agreed to talk with me for this story.  The center's Program Director Jeehae Fischer says they fear New York's Korean community is so small, even a translation of their voice in a radio story could out them to their abusers.  She says the Korean American Family Service Center works to break through the walls of that community to let women know they have a safe place to speak up. 
 
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence and could use assistance from the KAFSC, call their 24-hotline at 718-460-3800.

 

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