In recent years, state legislators have authorized general measures to reduce domestic violence, such as broadening the definition of abuse, creating jobs and employment protections for domestic violence victims, and ensuring the confidentiality of domestic violence shelters and counselors. However, according to a recent
Pew Charitable Trusts Stateline Magazine article, these measures have not focused enough on the specific domestic violence problem of different demographic groups.
Given the complexities of cultural differences, generic measures may not be the most effective way to reduce domestic violence. To be more effective, measures must address how race, culture, and other demographic factors influence domestic violence, the article states. The article cites the following cultural distinctions:
- African-American women are most likely to be killed by an intimate partner,
- domestic abuse often involves multiple family members in Asian/Pacific Islander communities,
- Latinas are less likely to seek help from a shelter, and
- gay and lesbian victims experience barriers to treatment or resources (e.g., denial of services by certain domestic violence shelters).
At the federal level, Congress has begun tailoring domestic violence legislation to reflect address demographic factors. For example, the Violence Against Women Act (42 USC §§ 13925, et. seq.) was amended in 2013 to (1) include domestic violence protections for gays and lesbians and (2) authorize tribes to criminally prosecute non-Indians for domestic and dating violence. Nonprofit organizations, often with federal funding, have been addressing some of these concerns by developing culturally specific domestic violence programs aimed at individual demographic groups, the article states.
