{"id":37005,"date":"2025-09-04T13:32:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T18:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/?p=37005"},"modified":"2025-09-04T13:32:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T18:32:35","slug":"community-engagement-with-faith-based-organizations-supporting-latin-survivors-of-intimate-partner-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/community-engagement-with-faith-based-organizations-supporting-latin-survivors-of-intimate-partner-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"Community engagement with faith-based organizations: Supporting Latin@ survivors of intimate partner violence\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Supporting Latin@ survivors of intimate partner violence through faith-based community engagement<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>

Faith-based organizations often serve as trusted hubs for spiritual, emotional, and material support. For Latin@ survivors of intimate partner violence, these spaces can be both healing and challenging. Domestic violence organizations can better support survivors by building intentional partnerships with religious and spiritual communities that honor cultural values while centering survivor autonomy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>

Cultural and religious context<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>

In many Latin@ communities, religion and spirituality are important values that offer strength, comfort, and a sense of belonging. They influence individual worldviews and community practices but are not necessarily equally essential for everyone in the Latin@ community. These values exist alongside others such as family, mutual aid, and respect \u2013 and are shaped by cultural traditions, family dynamics, and community context, so individuals may experience them differently.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Familismo <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Marianismo <\/span><\/i>are central cultural values in Latin@ communities. <\/span>Familismo <\/span><\/i>emphasizes loyalty, closeness, and mutual support within the family, prioritizing collective well-being over individual interests and sustaining family unity even at personal cost. <\/span>Marianismo<\/span><\/i>, rooted in the Virgin Mary archetype, calls for women to embody \u2013 and for society to idealize \u2013 a self-sacrificing, pure, devoted, and morally superior woman in service of men and family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

However, some cultural values and norms can<\/span> complicate help-seeking <\/span><\/b>and<\/span> inhibit disclosure of abuse. In this case, survivors may fear judgement or feel pressure to maintain family harmony and reputation, leading to underreporting within faith-based settings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

At the same time, religion, spirituality, and family bonds can serve as <\/span>powerful sources of healing<\/span><\/b>. Research highlights how<\/span> familismo<\/span><\/i> supports emotional development and can lower suicide risk among Latin@ youth communities (Pe\u00f1a, 2011). Similarly, spiritual practices often offer survivors a sense of resilience, hope, and connection (de la Rosa et al, 2016).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The impact depends on how these values are used as tools of empowerment and justice, or as mechanisms of shame and silence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Barriers to help seeking for Latin@ survivors<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>

Latin@ survivors of intimate partner violence often face multiple intersecting barriers, including:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>