Dangerous Silences: South Asian Immigrant Women and the Threat of Domestic Violence

Abstract

Immigrant women coming from South Asian countries to countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada are often shocked when they become victims of domestic violence at the hands of their sole companions in a foreign country. Because of their unfamiliarity with the new country, victimized women are often forced to endure violence for long periods of time in silence. Scholars have identified the reasons behind this silence. William A. Stacey explains that victim women do not want to speak of violence because they are thinking of their children and hoping for an end of violence one day (55). Loise I Gerdes agrees and adds that remaining silent about domestic violence is a cultural practice in some countries (118). While discussing the reasons for silence within this community of women, I will argue that silence does not end violence, rather intensifies it.