Report on Barriers to Sustainable Development Goals for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence

SDG 5: Gender Equality – Addressing Violence Against Women

Primary Obstacles to Eliminating Gender-Based Violence

• Systemic use of immigration status by abusers as a tool for control, coercion, and abuse, directly contravening the goal of eliminating all forms of violence against women.
• Pervasive fear among undocumented victims that reporting abuse to law enforcement will result in their own detention or deportation.
• Instances of local police collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which erodes community trust and discourages victims from seeking essential protection.
• The psychological manipulation by abusers, which diminishes victims’ self-esteem and creates a dependency that prevents them from leaving violent situations.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – Failures in Access to Justice

Systemic Deterrents and Victim Fear

• A national survey by the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors found that 76% of advocates reported victims were afraid to call the police due to potential ICE involvement.
• The same survey indicated that 50% of advocates had worked with immigrant survivors who dropped civil or criminal legal cases due to deportation fears.

– A study of two U.S. hospital emergency departments revealed that nearly one in five (19%) domestic violence victims avoided police contact over immigration concerns, highlighting a critical failure in providing equal access to justice for all.

Consequences of Inadequate Institutional Protection

• Failure to report domestic abuse can have fatal consequences. Studies show over 50% of intimate partner homicides are preceded by violence, a figure that rises to 75% for female victims, representing a severe failure to meet SDG Target 16.1 to reduce all forms of violence.
• The Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office, which focuses on crimes perpetrated by immigrants, may contribute to a climate of fear rather than fostering trust and protection for all victims regardless of their status.

SDG 10 & SDG 1: Reduced Inequalities and No Poverty – Compounding Vulnerabilities

Socioeconomic Factors Perpetuating Abuse

1. Financial Dependence: Victims are often financially reliant on their abusers, making it difficult to leave and support themselves and their children. A 2024 study noted 85% of victims seeking legal aid lived at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, linking poverty directly to increased vulnerability.
2. Lack of Support Networks: Immigrant victims frequently lack family or friends in their new country, leading to social isolation that exacerbates their vulnerability and dependence on an abuser.
3. Child Custody Threats: Abusers often threaten to take away shared children, a powerful tool of control that exploits the victim’s parental bond and the complexities of the legal system.
4. Legal Status Dependency: An abuser may control a victim’s path to legal residency by threatening to withdraw or fail to file necessary immigration petitions, using institutional processes as a tool of abuse and inequality.

Pathways to Protection and Realizing SDG Targets

Available Legal Mechanisms and Their Shortcomings

• The U Visa: This visa is available for victims of certain crimes, including domestic violence, who cooperate with law enforcement. It provides a work permit and a potential path to permanent residency. However, official policy states that a pending application does not protect an individual from immigration enforcement, undermining its effectiveness as a safeguard.
• The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Petition: This provision allows certain victims to self-petition for legal status without the abuser’s knowledge or participation, directly addressing the inequality created by sponsorship-based immigration.

Conclusion: A Call for Institutional Reform to Achieve SDGs

• The current climate of fear and systemic barriers for immigrant survivors directly undermines the achievement of SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
• Ensuring equal access to justice and robust protection for all individuals, regardless of immigration status, is fundamental to building the peaceful, just, and inclusive societies envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article’s central theme is domestic and intimate partner violence, a form of gender-based violence that disproportionately affects women. It explicitly states that “women represent 84% of victims of spousal abuse and 86% of victims of intimate partner abuse,” directly linking the issue to gender inequality.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The article extensively discusses the failure of justice systems to protect immigrant victims. It highlights how victims’ fear of law enforcement and immigration authorities prevents them from reporting crimes, thus denying them access to justice and protection under the rule of law.
3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The issues are framed around the unique vulnerabilities of a specific demographic: immigrant women. Their immigration status is used against them by abusers and creates a barrier to seeking help, highlighting a profound inequality in safety and justice based on national origin and legal status.
4. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article details the severe physical and psychological consequences of domestic abuse. It mentions a victim being punched and rendered unconscious, the “exaggerated… increase in the psychological aspect of being terrified,” and the stress affecting both the mother and her child, all of which are matters of health and well-being.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. The entire article is a case study of this target, focusing on domestic violence perpetrated by intimate partners against immigrant women.
2. Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions):
   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article connects the failure to report domestic abuse with fatal consequences, citing that “More than 50% of homicides committed by intimate partners were preceded by violence.”
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. The core problem identified is that immigrant victims do not have equal access to justice. They fear that reporting abuse to the police will lead to deportation rather than protection, as evidenced by the finding that “76% of immigrant advocates reported that victims of domestic violence were afraid to call the police for fear of ICE.”
3. Under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities):
   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… origin… or other status. The article demonstrates the social exclusion of immigrant women from protective systems due to their immigration status, which is exploited by abusers.
   • Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies. The article shows how the implementation of immigration enforcement policies creates unsafe conditions for immigrant victims of crime, directly contradicting the goal of safe migration.
4. Under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being):
   • Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being. The article describes the severe psychological toll on victims, including the “strong psychological control the perpetrator can have,” the feeling of being “nobody,” and the “exaggerated… increase in the psychological aspect of being terrified of immigration authorities.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicators for SDG 5 (Target 5.2):
   • The prevalence of intimate partner violence is indicated by the statistic that “women represent 84% of victims of spousal abuse and 86% of victims of intimate partner abuse.”
2. Indicators for SDG 16 (Targets 16.1 and 16.3):
   • The rate of reporting violence to authorities is a key indicator. The article provides several data points:
     • “76% of immigrant advocates reported that victims of domestic violence were afraid to call the police for fear of ICE.”
     • “almost 1 in 5 (19%) domestic violence victims avoided going to the police for fear that the police would report them to immigration authorities.”
     • “half of immigration advocates had worked with immigrants who had dropped their criminal or civil cases for fear of deportation.”
   • The link between violence and homicide rates is indicated by the statistic that “in cases where the victim is a woman, the figure [of homicides preceded by violence] rises to 75%.”
3. Indicators for SDG 10 (Targets 10.2 and 10.7):
   • The use of immigration status as a tool for control is an indicator of inequality. The article states that “abusers can use immigration status as a ‘tool to silence their victims’.”
   • The interaction between local police and immigration enforcement serves as an indicator of discriminatory practices. The article cites cases where police called ICE after a domestic violence report.
4. Indicators for SDG 3 (Target 3.4):
   • The state of mental health among victims is implied through qualitative descriptions, such as the “increase in the psychological aspect of being terrified” and a victim’s testimony of “Feeling like you’re nobody” due to psychological abuse.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nbcnews.com