MiddletownJournal.com

HAMILTON — For immigrant women, the pattern of domestic violence is often complicated by language barriers and fear of deportation. The combination often makes ending the cycle of abuse extremely difficult.

"Their abuser may be telling them they have no rights because she's an immigrant and if that same message is coming from the community, it's twice as powerful," said Jessica Donohue-Dioh, a coordinator for the Alliance for Immigrant Women.

Dioh has said there has been controversy surrounding immigration in Butler County. In the past several months, law enforcement officials have conducted immigration raids on three auto dealerships in Hamilton and the Koch Foods plant in Fairfield.

During a news conference Monday, March 24, Dioh said the abuser will often threaten the woman with their citizenship status as a means of keeping them under control. She added the problem impacts all immigrants, regardless of legal status.

The alliance, a coalition of 20 organizations helmed by the YWCA of Cincinnati, prints literature in eight languages to alert women to their rights.

On Monday, the alliance told the story of two abused woman — one Asian and one Hispanic — who were trapped in abuse. Members of the Hamilton and Springdale police departments took part in the news conference.

"I really feel that we have failed when we have a victim that is afraid to come to law enforcement," said Springdale Police Chief Mike Laage.

However, Laage admitted that it does happen, and the police department and community needed to do more to make sure crimes are reported.

The Rev. Josh Colon, pastor of the Hispanic Church of God, said that communities need to look beyond ethnicity to help solve the domestic violence problem that impacts whole families and not just women.

"If we don't come together today, it's going to get worse tomorrow," he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2190 or jrinaldi@coxohio.com.