Survivor Stories
A Look into the Lives of Immigrant Clients
January 16, 2010
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed by Congress in 1994. Among many other protections, VAWA created special provisions in United States immigration law to protect immigrant victims of domestic violence. The VAWA Self-Petitioning process allows a battered spouse of a United States citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) to break free from the sponsorship control that an abusive spouse may have over the undocumented immigrant and petition on their own (self-petition) to gain legal status in the United States. Read More

New York’s Southern District Provides Relief to Battered Immigrants
October 1, 2006
“It is not the policy of the United States, nor of the State of New York, to leave destitute the battered immigrant wives and children of lawful U.S. residents just because their abusive husbands are no longer supporting them or providing a basis for obtaining aid.” Read More

The Domestic Violence Debate in Ghana
October 1, 2006
Ghana, situated on the west coast of Africa, is one of the least developed countries in the world. Ghana is home to over 21 million people, with well over 50% being women. According to Mr. Adolf Awuku, Coordinator of Domestic Violence Coalition, one out of every three women in Ghana has suffered some form of domestic violence with 90% of the perpetrators being men. Read More

State Ends Aid for Battered and Elderly Legal Immigrants
October 1, 2005
New York State quietly pulled the plug on a small but critical food assistance program. Read More

State Ends Aid for Battered and Elderly Legal Immigrants
January 1, 2005
On September 30, New York State quietly pulled the plug on a small but critical food assistance program which, because of bureaucratic neglect and mismanagement, never delivered on its promise to provide state funded food stamps to elderly immigrants and to immigrants victimized by domestic violence. Read More

Important Revisions Are Made to OTDA’s Alien Eligibility Desk Guide
January 1, 2005
Advocates, particularly those working with immigrant victims of domestic violence, should be aware that, late last year, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) issued a substantially revised "Alien Eligibility Desk Guide" (the "Guide"). The most significant change is the expansion of the list of immigration documents that prove an immigrant DV victim meets the conditions for being treated as a "qualified alien" for the purposes of public benefits eligibility. Read More