South Asian Survivors

Top line:

Who is making the PSA: The South Asian network, which has offices in Little Bangladesh and Artesia, last month launched a call for applications to recruit volunteers to act within the PSA. Among those who responded were survivors of gender-based violence who wanted to raise awareness in the South Asian community.

A new take: PSA directors say they are working to provide a “modern take” on old ads by showing that gender-based violence doesn't just happen between intimate partners or within the home, but can also include psychological violence, cyberstalking and withholding money. .

The advertisement attempts to reach out to many members of the diverse diaspora using five languages: English, Bangala, Hindi, Sinhala and Urdu.

Why is this important: Local advocates say they are seeing an increase in incidents of gender-based violence in the community, which they attribute in part to a growing awareness of what it entails. The rapidly growing South Asian population in the United States is also cited as a reason for the increase in cases.

And after: Organizers hope the PSA will begin circulating on YouTube starting in July, and potentially on television channels aimed at the South Asian diaspora. The South Asian Network says it can help survivors find shelter, legal services and therapy.

South Asian survivors of physical and emotional abuse came together this week in Los Angeles to help create a modern PSA that shatters stereotypes about violence in their communities.

Filming took place at the South Asian Network's Little Bangladesh offices, where staff last produced a PSA about domestic violence more than a decade ago and decided it was big time to move to a new, broader approach.

Since the release of their latest advert, the umbrella term gender-based violence now encompasses domestic violence as well as any violence experienced by people of all genders and gender identities. Although typically associated with physical and sexual assault, gender-based violence also manifests itself in the form of cyberbullying and economic control and can take place in settings such as work or school.

The dozen actors, who responded to a casting call launched last month, play a cast of characters including a queer survivor of violence, traumatized children who witnessed abuse and a woman in her twenties who is the aggressor in a romantic relationship.

For some, the motivation is personal

Among the cast are survivors who have lived through some of the experiences depicted on screen.

“Violence can happen to anyone, just like it can happen in any home,” said Kiran Gupta, who took the time to write a grant with an anti-human trafficking group humans to play the role of social worker.

Gupta said she was motivated to volunteer for the ad as someone who experienced verbal and physical abuse at the hands of a controlling father.

“My father spent a lot of time justifying various behaviors by saying, 'I'm the father,'” said Gupta, the eldest of four siblings. “Today we wonder what that might mean to justify some pretty heinous and violent behavior within the home.”

Abuse survivors say more help needed

Advocates for abuse survivors say they are seeing more cases of gender-based violence, which they attribute in part to greater awareness of the problem among South Asians in the United States — a rapidly growing population in reason for immigration. Indian Americans who identify as belonging to a single race now represent the largest group of Asian Americans in the country.

But more people need help than are getting it, said Sachini Rajapaksa, program coordinator of the gender-based violence unit at the South Asian Network, who wanted to create a “modern vision » of the question with the new public service announcement.

“Growing up, I also witnessed abuse in my home,” said Rajapaksa, co-director of the commercial. “So I know what it’s like to be in a community where we’re avoiding this issue or we’re not giving it the attention it deserves.”

To reach more people in the diverse diaspora, the ad actors speak five languages: English, Bangala, Hindi, Sinhala and Urdu.

“I mean, there are thousands of languages, thousands of religions and cultures that we can't put in this PSA, but we can at least put five,” said Rajapaksa, who speaks herself Sinhalese.

Understanding the foundations of the crisis

Since the South Asian Network released its last PSA on violence prevention 13 years ago, understanding of gender-based violence has improved as more and more Community organizations are prioritizing this issue and seeking data.

In 2022, the group South Asian SOAR released a report on gender-based violence affecting South Asians in the United States and found:

• 48% reported experiencing physical violence
• 38% reported being victims of psychological violence
• 35% reported being victims of economic abuse

What different forms of abuse have in common is that they are rooted in societal structures, such as patriarchy or an immigration system, “that almost allow this violence to occur,” said Gunindu Abeysekera, co-author of the report.

Abeysekera, who also co-led the new PSA, said those without citizenship may feel they cannot freely express their abuse.

“We see this as more of a systematic problem than an individual problem,” Abeysekera said.

The cultural emphasis on another institution – marriage – can also lead to violence when spouses are not compatible but stay together, said Saima Shahzad, a 22-year-old student who volunteered to play in the advertisement.

“There are a lot of taboos around divorce or separation,” Shahzad said. “There’s this image that you have to be this perfect family that has status and education, but people don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.”

Acquire help

Rajapaksa pointed out that technology developed since his organization last advertised has emboldened the attackers.

She said her organization faced cases of people being harassed through apps and using Apple AirTags, Bluetooth tracking devices that help iPhone owners track their belongings. Victims, Rajapaksa said, find AirTags stuck in the hood of a car or stuck on top of a wheel.

“We're getting to a point where we're just telling people, 'You might need a new phone or you might just need to go to a mechanic and see if there's an (AirTag) on ​​your car,'” Rajapaksa said.

Survivors who seek help from the South Asian Network will have access to language therapy, legal services and help finding shelter, said program manager Riffat Rahman.

Some immigrants, Rahman said, are particularly vulnerable because they may lack the language skills, family support, money or immigration status to escape their situation.

“Come to the right place for help, then break the silence and break the cycle of abuse,” Rahman said.

She hopes more people will come through the doors. The PSA is expected to begin airing on YouTube in July and, potentially, on television channels aimed at the South Asian diaspora.

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