October is Filipino American Heritage Month AND Domestic Violence Awareness month. So, so fitting. Alongside Native Hawaiians, Filipinos have the highest rates of domestic violence in Hawaii. (Sharing this again in case you missed it the first time.) More facts: 1998 - 2008: A surge in domestic violence-related murders among Filipinos in Hawaii, involving a spike of a 70% increase in Filipina victims. 2000: 7 intimate homicides were reported in Hawaii. Five of the women killed were of Filipina descent--a disproportionately high rate given that, at the time, Filipinos represented only 12.3% of Hawaiis total population. 2008: Hawaii ranked 23rd with a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 population of females murdered by males, in single victim/single offender homicides. 2010: SF-based study found that Filipinas represent 20% of intimate homicide victims across the US. 2013: Review found Filipinos in Hawaii overrepresented with the highest proportion (28.9%) of fatal victims of IPV fatalities. The Domestic Violence Action Center (DVAC) has a program specifically geared toward the Filipino community: domesticviolenceactioncenter.org/special-programs/pilipina-rural-project. Domestic violence is a public health issue that crosses all economic, ethnic, cultural, education and age lines. No single person or community is immune. Thus, it is ALL of our responsibility to educate and organize our communities around these issues. America likes to boast that we are the freest nation on earth, but half of our population doesnt even feel free enough to walk alone at night.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 20:54:49 +0000