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Does Sakhi promote change through policy work?

Sakhi knows that in order to create lasting change, we must enhance the systems and institutions that survivors of abuse encounter and navigate.

To read more about the history of our policy work and each of our policy and research projects, click on the links below:

History and Overview

Court Interpreters Project

Faith-Based Initiative

Suicide among South Asian Women

New York Police Department Engagement Project

History and Overview

Sakhi’s policy and research advocacy work began years ago. In our history of advocacy we have had many key victories:

• In October 2007, Sakhi's language access advocacy helped lead to a court rule in New York State entitling all court users in civil and criminal contexts to an interpreter. To read the rule, click here;
• In April 2006, Sakhi was a key member fostering the Office of Court Administration to release a workplan to address improving the court interpreter system. For more information on this success, click here;
• In 2003, we mobilized the New York State Office of Court Administration to hire South Asian interpreters as employees for the first time; and,
• In 1994, we helped to ensure that the second Violence Against Women Act included immigrant survivors of abuse by enabling battered women to self-petition for their green cards. This provision has made all the difference for many immigrant women who were reliant on their abusers for legal immigrant status.

Our current policy projects are designed to continue this legacy of enabling wide-ranging change. They address the needs of immigrant survivors of violence in the court and faith arenas.   

Court Interpreters Project

Language access is a vital issue for immigrant women, particularly in their dealings with the justice system. Court interpreters play a crucial role in the lives of many immigrant survivors of violence. Women who do not have the means to communicate their needs in English must rely on the use of court interpreters to convey their experiences and their pleas for justice. For immigrant survivors of violence, court interpreters can permanently make an impact on their cases – and their lives. Click here to read more.

In Sakhi’s work, we have found that

• Translation and interpreting services offered in the court system are sometimes inadequate and work to a survivor ’s detriment;
• There are very few South Asian language interpreters. Those who do such work are mostly men who are neither trained on domestic violence nor monitored nor held accountable for egregious actions;
• Women have spent an entire day in a crowded, noisy, and often uncomfortable room waiting for an interpreter who does not show up, thus delaying their hearings for an order of protection, order of support, or custody/visitation for another day — or most often for another month;
• Some interpreters do not speak the language adequately, do not speak the language they claim to speak, or are not as proficient in English as needed; and,
• Some interpreters have introduced themselves and have talked to the abusers in the waiting area before entering the courtroom. This is a violation not only of the interpreter’s ethical duty, but also damages the courageous step of any survivor coming forward to seek help through the legal system.

CIP Actions to Date

In 1995, Prema Vora, Program Director, Kamala Mantha, Program Coordinator, and Robina Niaz, volunteer, initiated the Court Interpreters Campaign after seeing the need for trained interpreters in courts, especially in Family Court.

In recent years, Sakhi has had several concrete achievements as a result of this project:

• In May 2008, we presented the findings of a groundbreaking national survey of court interpreters at a forum sponsored by the New York City Bar Association task force. To read more on Sakhi's 2008 language access achievements, click here;
• In October 2007, Sakhi's language access advocacy helped lead to a court rule in New York State entitling all court users in civil and criminal contexts to an interpreter. To read the rule, click here;
• In April 2007, Sakhi and Justice Speaks members conducted a convenient sample survey which demonstrated the paucity of available interpreters and the continuing need to address access to intepreters in New York City courts. For a report of the preliminary findings, click here;
• In 2007, Sakhi presented 8 times in national and local arenas on language access in the courts at convenings held by groups as diverse as the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court, National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the New York State Sociological Association, and the South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow;
• In summer 2006, The National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) published an article Sakhi co-authored about the importance of qualified court interpreters for survivors with limited English proficiency. To read the article, click here;
• In April 2006, Sakhi was a key member fostering the Office of Court Administration to release a workplan to address improving the court interpreter system. For more information on this success, click here;
• In May 2005, Purvi Shah presented a testimonial paper to the Matrimonial Commission in New York City. Some of her testimony was used in the Commission's final report. To read Purvi's testimony, click here;
• In September 2004, Purvi Shah, Executive Director at Sakhi, presented at the Department of Justice’s first-ever organized Limited English Proficiency (LEP) conference designed to discuss the obstacles LEP individuals face when trying to access court systems. The groundbreaking conference was the first of its kind organized by a government agency - 150 people attended including court personnel, advocates, and government officials;
• In 2003, the Office of Court Administration hired three South Asian interpreters as employees of the Court, thus requiring them to attend an orientation which includes domestic violence training;
• In 2003, the National Center for State Courts asked Sakhi to participate on its national advisory board for a study on the ability of Limited English Proficient women to access protection orders. This significant opportunity has allowed Sakhi to articulate the need for proper court interpretation and contribute our expertise on domestic violence and immigrant rights on a national level. Sakhi provided input on content and structure of the study. This National Institute of Justice-funded study is remarkable given that it has compiled information from nearly 160 different courts across the country -- specifically around questions related to language access. The study provides unique data on the resources used by the surveyed courts in order to serve LEP petitioners. A final report of this ground-breaking study can be found here;
• In October 2002, Sakhi produced a documentary film entitled Creating Community Change to increase awareness about the issue of interpreting in courts;
• Sakhi first partnered with the Coalition of Battered Women's Advocates in fall 2001 on the Non-English Speaking Project Survey, which recorded primary issues affecting non-English speaking survivors of domestic violence. As a piece of this effort, Sakhi interviewed more than a dozen of the women we work with to gather their perspectives on navigating the court system and utilizing interpreters. In summer 2002, a focus group studied the results of the surveys and found that court interpreters were misinterpreting on purpose, not showing up to court dates (thus delaying a survivor's case), talking to abusers outside of the court room, and perpetuating other injustices; and,
• In 1995, Sakhi wrote about the campaign in its newsletters and got the article “Silence! The Court is in Session” reproduced and disseminated to judges through the National Organization for Women Legal Defense and Education Fund judicial education curriculum.

2009 CIP Goals

• This year, Sakhi is holding focus groups with interpreters to gain first-hand experience on interpreter needs and perspectives. These focus groups build on the survey disseminated in 2007. To read more on the survey and view a copy, click here. The focus groups will provide qualitative data to document interpreter performance and systemic gaps to help inform government agencies and officials of what improvements and training mechanisms need to be put in place to improve interpreter services with the court system. No body of collected data exists at the moment that legislators and administrators can use as an official reference or catalogue of interpreter expertise and experiences in court especially in relation to domestic violence. We believe this document will help collect essential data that will lead to policy development and system-wide change. To read more on these focus groups, click here; and,
• Once data collection is complete, Sakhi will work together to compile the information and create a final report to document findings from the survey and focus groups. This 2010 new report will be useful in presenting the issue to court officials, and also in involving new partner organizations in the effort.

Sakhi has been working actively as one of the key members of the Justice Speaks: Initiative to Ensure Language Access, which is co-chaired by Purvi Shah of Sakhi and Amy Taylor of Legal Services NYC and includes representatives from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, The City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court, inMotion, New York Asian Women’s Center, New York Foundling, Safe Horizon, Sanctuary for Families, Vera Institute of Justice, and Voices of Women.

• Sakhi and the Initiative will meet with government agencies and officials to raise awareness about the issue of interpretation. To read about Sakhi's recent presentation to the Department of Justice and other federal agency representatives, click here;
• In addition, the Initiative will especially reach out to attorneys and judges. By conducting meetings and presentations, Sakhi hopes to enlist 3 to 4 judicial or legal contacts that will be dedicated to furthering our advocacy work to improve court interpretation services; and,
• Sakhi will present on the issue on language access in the courts locally and nationally to further critical discussion and gather attention to this issue.

Faith-Based Initiative

Sakhi is currently conducting research on the intersection of faith, spirituality, and domestic violence. We seek to work more closely with various faith-based communities that intersect with the South Asian population.

The purpose of the faith-based initiative is to understand what the key issues are for women who are survivors of domestic violence in relation to their faith.

Often women who we serve find their strength and comfort from their religious faiths during their time of darkness. Understanding how religious organizations and communities address domestic violence can be integral to providing further support for survivors.

In 2007, Sakhi built on its initial pilot survey of survivors' comments on their experiences of faith and healing from violence by conducting two focus groups and presenting some of this information at the National Network to End Domestic Violence conference. For a summary of Sakhi's work and future plans in this arena click here. To read a recent article in a spirituality-focused magazine discussing Sakhi's work, click here.

In the past, Sakhi has conducted presentations in faith-based environments. This next year, we will continue to conduct research on women’s experiences with faith leaders and communities and strategize on how to conduct outreach or involve faith-based leaders in the struggle to end domestic violence.

2009-10 Faith-Based Initiative Goals

• Hold support groups based in Richmond Hill, Queens focused on the faith and violence;
• Produce a report or other communication tools on Sakhi's research;
• Conduct a survey with clergy on experiences addressing domestic violence;
• Meet with faith-based organizations to gauge partnership opportunities; and,
• Explore the possibility of conducting faith-based workshops at which diverse religious and spiritual leaders discuss how spirituality can give survivors additional strength in moments of need.

Suicide among South Asian Women

Sakhi knows that in order to end domestic violence, we must raise awareness and advocate change on many different levels, social as well institutional. Sakhi's contributions to hearings on critical issues relating to domestic violence are an important part of this process. In December 2006, Sandeep Bathala provided key testimony on depression and suicide among South Asian women at a joint hearing of the New York State Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Developmental Disablilities. To read Sandeep's testimony, click here. For press coverage of the event, please click on the links below:

India Abroad

India West

MedIndia

The New York Times

New York Police Department Engagement Project

New York City Law Enforcement can be critical to serving the needs of domestic violence survivors. Domestic Violence advocates need to be familiar with laws, legal provisions, and options that are in place for survivors and provide input in terms of what works and what does not work when accessing law enforcement systems.

Sakhi, as it serves a very specialized clientele, especially seeks to address and advocate for overcoming barriers due to language and immigration status and promote cultural sensitivity within law enforcement services for South Asian survivors of domestic violence.

In 2003 Sakhi partnered with the Mayor’s office to document the experiences of South Asian survivors of domestic violence and their interactions with the NYPD.

Findings from this project include:

• Some women did not have an unbiased translator available to communicate their stories to the police (and sometimes, the offenders took on the role of telling police what happened);
• Other women expressed discomfort in being approached by police to show bruises or scars on their bodies; and,
• Some survivors relayed positive experiences, citing follow-ups by police showed caring and attention.

Through this collaboration, Sakhi assisted in the development of a brochure to distribute to survivors who need police assistance. It is now available to our constituency on this website in pdf format. Click to download the file in Bangla, English, Hindi, or Urdu.