
Private Violence
Latin American Women and the Struggle for Asylum
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Category Winner, 2025 PROSE Awards: Psychology and Applied Social Work How the US asylum process fails to protect against claims of gender-based violence Through eyewitness accounts of closed-court proceedings and powerful testimony from women who have sought asylum in the United States because of severe assaults and death threats by intimate partners and/or gang members, Private Violence examines how immigration laws and policies shape the lives of Latin American women who seek safety in the United States. Carol Cleaveland and Michele Waslin describe the women's histories prior to crossing the border, and the legal strategies they use to convince Immigration Judges that rape and other forms of "private violence" should merit asylum – despite laws built on Cold War era assumptions that persecution occurs in the public sphere by state actors. Private Violence provides much-needed recommendations for incorporating a gender-based lens in the asylum process. The authors demonstrate how policy changes across Presidential administrations have made it difficult for survivors of "private violence" to qualify for asylum. Private Violence paints a damning portrait of America's broken asylum system. This volume illustrates the difficulties experienced by Latin American women who rely on this broken system for protection in the United States. It also illuminates women's resilience and the determination of immigration attorneys to reshape asylum law.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction: Asylum, Trauma, and Marginalization
- 1. “Private Violence” and Public Policy
- 2. “Women Who Are Alone Suffer”
- 3. Violence at Home
- 4. Criminalizing Asylum
- 5. Trauma: Shared Meanings and Healing
- 6. “If I Offended Your Country, I’m Sorry.”
- Conclusion: The Architecture of Exclusion
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix: Methodology
- Statutes, Regulations, and Legal Decisions
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Authors