Gender-Sensitive and Culturally Responsive Services for Indian Immigrant Women Experiencing Domestic Violence: Centering Practitioners’ Perspectives in the United States

In the United States, South Asian immigrant women experience high rates of domestic violence (DV). The authors employed participatory research methods to bring together researchers, practitioners, and service users across three community-based domestic violence agencies in the United States to identify best practices, needs, and challenges in delivering gender-sensitive and culturally responsive care. This chapter will report on perspectives shared by practitioners at a domestic violence agency serving primarily South Asian immigrant women in an urban city in the United States. Focus group discussions with practitioners highlight several best practices in delivering gender-sensitive and culturally responsive care. While practitioners currently use several best practices, innovative strategies, and resources to address the gender and culture-specific needs of Indian immigrant women experiencing DV, there remain significant barriers to systemizing and increasing access to them. In addition, there is a critical need for further collaborative research with community partners to understand better the “on-the-ground” realities, needs, and challenges practitioners face while delivering care.