Experiences of Immigrant Women Who Self-Petition Under the Violence Against Women Act
Author: Ingram, Maia
Date Published: 2010
To ensure that immigration law does not trap women in abusive relationships, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) enabled immigrant women to self-petition for legal status. Qualitative research methods were used in this participatory action research to investigate the experiences of Mexican immigrant women filing VAWA self-petitions. Emotional, financial, and logistic barriers in applying are identified, and recommendations for practice research and policy are provided.