Thread: CA-Mixteco women get help leaving abusive partners

Mixteco women get help leaving abusive partners
By Cynthia Overweg
Posted March 8, 2010 at 10:57 p.m.

A new educational outreach program that targets domestic abuse has helped hundreds of immigrant families confront the consequences of family violence, say the creators of a program designed for Ventura County’s Mixteco community.

“We’re trying to help women leave abusive relationships and spreading the message of women’s rights to a marginalized population where neither English or Spanish is the spoken language,â€

"But they are protected by the Violence Against Women Act, a federal law, which extends protections to illegal immigrants who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse, Rodriguez said.

“Instead of being punished for reporting a crime, we can help them attain legal status,â€