Begin Again

I lived in a hidden world where human evil shows its most atrocious face; but I show the strength to not let myself be defeated, the love for my little son, to embrace him again, to feel his soft face against mine, to see his smile and to fulfill the promise to always take care of him.

The Flower Vendor

No one truly prepares you for the obstacles you’ll face in this lifetime, especially when navigating a journey into the unknown. This is the reality for many immigrants, who make the difficult decision to leave everything they’ve ever known behind, all in the hope of building a better future.

Resilience and Change: A New Beginning in the Aftermath of Dating Violence

As time went by, everything was changing, everyone had their own priorities, and I felt lost and confused. I remember that my mother always told me, “Don’t let a man raise his voice or hit you.” At that time she had already received VIP services and I saw her more free than ever. In her outreaches as a Promotora, always taking us along, I saw how she saw herself in other women who asked what VIP was. My mom, very confident, would talk about the services they were offering at the time, but she would also explain that abuse is not just physical, that there are other abuses as well; emotional, financial, digital, mental, verbal, and sexual. Without Mom knowing it, I was going through abuse but I was too embarrassed to tell her.

The Violation of Reproductive Rights as a Gender-Based Violence

The Violation of Reproductive Rights as Gender-Based Violence does not only include physical violence or harm, but it is a continuum of actions leading to a violation of an individual’s bodily integrity and human rights. Of these, the rollback or constraint of reproductive justice is arguably one of the most far-reaching forms of systematic oppression that targets women, especially ethnic minorities. Working for a domestic violence organization led by Latina women and in a Latinx community, I know that race and gender are involved in such oppression and domination.

Surviving and Thriving: An Immigrant’s Journey to a Life Free from Violence

I was born in a town in Sierra Norte de Puebla and grew up in a family that has always experienced violence. All the time I saw my dad mistreating my mom. My dad is an alcoholic and was always like that. I grew up self-conscious , afraid, and isolated. I wanted to be invisible, for no one to see me. That was the fear my dad provoked in me. I would cry when the sun went down, because I knew he would come back to the house.

The Female Face of Latin American Migration

It is difficult to make someone understand the migration process if they have never experienced it. Migration is much more than crossing geographical borders; it’s crossing cultural and emotional boundaries. It’s leaving behind a life that you know you will never get back. For many, migration means burning bridges and diving into uncertainty, embracing an unknown world where customs and values are not always familiar, but where you must inevitably learn to navigate.