In The News

Casa Myrna Vasquez expands coverage to Portugese-speaking victims
South End News
by Scott Kearnan, October 4, 2007

It’s 2 p.m. on a typical Tuesday, and the SafeLink call center has already logged 54 incoming calls from local victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, that number will soon rise even higher: “Between 4 and 7 p.m. is when we’re at our busiest,” says Aida Reynoso, SafeLink Coordinator. “Those are the hours when calls hit their peak.” As many as 170 callers per day, mostly women, turn to SafeLink for its 24-hour, live assistance in immediate crisis intervention, safety planning, support information and referrals to emergency shelters across the state of Massachusetts. They also seek the hotline’s multilingual staff, a team able to provide assistance in nearly any language. SafeLink has long provided live response in English and Spanish (including assistance for the hearing impaired). It also has an external translation service that allows the staff to supply help in over 140 additional languages.

To mark the start of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the organization has added Portuguese coverage to its 24/7, in-house multilingual services. The formal announcement was made at an Oct. 2 press conference in the offices of Casa Myrna Vazquez, the South End organization that operates SafeLink. Established as a single shelter in 1977, Casa Myrna Vazquez has since grown to become a New England leader in providing comprehensive advocacy services to victims of domestic violence. The SafeLink hotline has long been a cornerstone of its services, and the announcement to include live assistance in Portuguese was met with praise and enthusiasm by those in attendance, including Angelo McClain, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS); Marie Turley, Executive Director of the City of Boston Women’s Commission; Sheridan Haines, Executive Director of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; and Mary Lauby, Executive Director of Jane Doe Inc.

“In Massachusetts, we have one domestic violence death per week,” said Lauby, totaling 40 such deaths in the Commonwealth since the January 2007. “Offering the Portuguese-speaking population an avenue and access to safety and support means more than any of us know.”

“We can’t do it all on our own,” added Paulo Pinto, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS), which provides health, education and social services to the Portuguese-speaking community. “There is not enough funding … we struggle every day.”

Pinto praised Casa Myrna Vazquez’s move, noting that Portuguese — not Spanish, as commonly assumed — is the second most widely spoken language in the state. He also underscored the unique problems of Portuguese-speaking domestic violence victims; in addition to the fear and intimidation experienced by all victims of abuse, Portuguese-speaking immigrants may be hesitant to contact police assistance because of their own illegal status. Still, Pinto said he sees hope in providing enhanced services through MAPS’s collaboration with partners like Casa Myrna Vazquez and “a new [state] administration supportive of immigrant rights and services.”

The administration has also showed renewed support for domestic violence initiatives. In July, Gov. Deval Patrick announced an increase of $3.6 million for programs that address domestic violence. SafeLink is funded by DSS, which should receive $1.4 million of the funds, according to DSS Commissioner McClain. McClain said he is supportive of broadening the mission of the DSS from “one that protects children … to one that protects and strengthens families.” He said he also hopes to renew interest in domestic violence programs by examining “ the best practices out there,” through an informational forum between the DSS and other relevant state agencies, tentatively scheduled for late October.

Still, increased funding and state support coincides with increased need. While Casa Myrna Vazquez may have expanded its SafeLink language coverage, other demographics continue to require additional support. Reynoso says she has seen a marked increase in male victims of domestic violence, doubling from 1.5 to 3 percent of callers in just two years. She said she is also concerned about the “underserved population of teenagers” whom she called “the next generation” of domestic abuse. “There is so much going on,” she said. “And we can’t forget the specific services we need for them.”

The tollfree SafeLink hotline has advocates available 24 hours/day at 877-785-2020 (TTY 877-521-2601). Visit www.casamyrna.org