Battering is the single largest cause of injury to women--more than rapes, accidents and muggings combined.

Download the English version of "The Domestic Violence Handbook" here.

Download the Creole version of "The Domestic Violence Handbook" here.

Dwa Fanm’s largest program is called Haitians Against Violence at Home (HAVH). Based in a confidential location in Brooklyn it tackles domestic violence from a women’s rights perspective, offering advocacy, a safe space, educational and preventive support groups and workshops for women at risk, battered women and survivors.

Since Dwa Fanm’s formation, several incidents have occurred that highlight the need for a women and girl’s rights advocacy organization. One was the throat-slashing murder of a Brooklyn Haitian woman by her husband in February of 2000. The woman had apparently endured years of abuse without significant intervention. The woman had been a member of a well known Haitian Catholic Church in Brooklyn. Soon after the incident, Dwa Fanm formed a linkage with this church to provide battered women with resources, and to train its parishioners on domestic violence in the Haitian Community. Following up, Dwa Fanm discovered that New York’s 67th police precinct located in the second largest Haitian neighborhood in Brooklyn, receives the highest number of domestic violence related calls in the city. Many abused women are reluctant to contact mainstream domestic violence agencies or feel that community centers will not be able to help them. Fear, financial dependency, lack of family and community’s support, language and cultural barriers trap many Haitian women in violent situations.

To ensure battered and surviving women also have leadership and input in the general operation of the project, HAVH established a Survivor Advisory Board that leads many of Dwa Fanm-HAVH’s projects in the Haitian community. HAVH currently organizes with these six women in Central Brooklyn to make policies and direct service programs on domestic violence, immigration, and welfare respond specifically to the needs of Haitian women. The HAVH Survivor Advisory Board is particularly proud of its work with King’s County Family Court and Manhattan Family Court in February and June 2001 to translate materials produced by the Court into Creole, and to make them available to the public. Dwa Fanm then worked with the New York Legal Assistance Group and In-Motion to complete the translations. The materials were placed in Family Courts in all the five Boroughs of New York City in 2002.

The HAVH Project is located in a confidential location. It was developed to address the needs and to recognize issues and policies that impact Haitian immigrant women in New York City. While collaborating with several organizations, we offer a Haitian-identified, culturally, language-appropriate and confidential program on domestic violence. HAVH was developed out the recognition that domestic violence, sexual violence and unequal rights is a common problem affecting Haitians across social class, family background and economic standing.

Any Woman Connected to the HAVH Project Can Receive Help in the Following Ways:

• Safety Planning.
• Crisis intervention and crisis management.
• Housing search and housing placement.
• Shelter or safe home placement.
• Employment training and employment readiness counseling, assistance with resume preparation and with job search.
• Peer Education training for survivors. (certificate program)
• Legal advocacy and direct assistance in getting orders of protection, child support, divorce and visitation petitions.
• Individual, private/trauma counseling in English and Creole.
• Support groups and domestic violence workshops in English and Creole.
• Play therapy for children witnesses and survivors of violence.
• Resources to income maintenance, services and benefits.
• Creole language materials for family court and criminal court.
• Modest emergency funds to those who qualify.
• Accompaniment to the courts and to other service organizations.
• Translation in police precinct.

According to the Inter-American Convention On The Prevention, Punishment And Eradication Of Violence Against Women, "Convention Of Belem Do Para”:

“Violence against women constitutes a violation of their human rights and fundamental freedoms….Violence against women is an offense against human dignity and a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between women and men.”