Study: Domestic Violence a Widespread Scourge Among Latino Families Agencia EFE
go to original September 22, 2014

Domestic Violence in Mexico - La violencia domestica en Mexico (Hechos_tv/Aritivista-Abogado)

Domestic violence is extremely widespread among Hispanic families, according to a study released by the Allstate Foundation.

Sixty-four percent of respondents in a nationwide survey of Hispanic women said they personally knew a victim of abuse, while 30 percent admitted to having been abused themselves.

Asked whether physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse was their reason for escaping from a dangerous relationship, 88 percent put physical abuse in first place, while 39 percent named financial abuse.

"A lot of people can't identify financial abuse - they always think the worst thing is being slapped around and they don't understand the signs of the financial abuse that occurs in 98 percent of all cases of domestic violence," the foundation's director Patricia Lara Garza told Efe.

"Domestic violence and financial abuse often go hand in hand, but almost eight out of every 10 Americans have never heard it said that financial abuse is an aspect of domestic violence," she said.

Victims of abuse often talk about their partner's temper, their jealousy and their domineering character, Garza said in an interview.

They have to keep their partner constantly informed about where they are and what they're doing, while every cent they spend is watched closely and restricted. They get frequent threatening phone calls and never stop worrying about how their partner is going to react to routine things like everyday purchases.

Read the rest at La Prensa

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