Non-profit organizations nationwide working to end domestic violence and offering services to victims of domestic abuse specifically in the Korean American community officially came together to form a coalition called the National Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse (NKACEDA).
Launched officially on Tuesday, the coalition was formed after a few years of gathering together organically at the annual Asian Pacific Institute for Gender Based Violence Summit, and had its first three-day gathering in May in Los Angeles.
NKACEDA aims to expand and strengthen the network of Korean American domestic violence organizations by sharing resources and tools, and brainstorming strategies together, that more people would be able to quickly and easily access necessary services.
Seven organizations are a part of the coalition thus far, including the Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF), Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse (KACEDA), and Korean American Family Services (KFAM) on the West Coast; Asian Services in Action, Inc. (ASIA) and KAN-WIN in the Mid West; Asian Family Support Services of Austin in the South; and Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) on the East Coast.
"Domestic violence is prevalent in the Korean American community yet lack of awareness, stigma, language, and other barriers leads to underreporting," the coalition stated. "Victims suffer in silence as our community remains largely underserved. NKACEDA was formed by Korean-serving organizations who have been largely working within our local communities but want to share knowledge with one another, and create a stronger, national voice to address domestic violence."
According to a 2015 study by California State University, Los Angeles, immigrant Korean families are reported to experience the highest rate of domestic violence among Asian Americans in Los Angeles, and a 2005 CSULA study showed that of 514 Korean women, 70 percent revealed they have experienced abuse by an intimate partner in the previous year.
Connie Chung Joe, the executive director of KFAM, says that language barriers and stigma prevent these women from seeking out services. By joining efforts with these other organizations nationwide, she said she hopes more victims would be able to receive the care they need.
"On average, we get about 91 hotline calls each year," said Jennifer Oh, the domestic violence program manager of KFAM. "But these calls are not only from people within Southern California, but also from people on the East Coast and in the Mid West who are wanting to connect with Koreans and talk to Korean speakers. But our services to people so far away are very limited."
Furthermore, the different organizations provide different services. For example, KFAM is a multi-service organization that offers various services for the Korean American community at large including counseling, case management, foster care, and others, while an organization like CPAF offers shelters for six-month terms and year-long terms as they focus specifically on services related to domestic violence. Bringing these different strengths together, Chung Joe said, would offer greater service to the greater community.
The coalition plans to collaborate on these services, offer training to one another, and network through regular meetings via webinars and conferences.
For more information, visit www.nkaceda.org.
