Domestic Violence In Hmong Culture

1096 Words5 Pages

“Sexual, racial, gender violence and other forms of discrimination and violence in a culture cannot be eliminated without changing culture.” - Charlotte Bunch.
Domestic abuse is a hostile dispute involving the use of violence among household or family members. It is a universal phenomenon that occurs in all races, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, occupations, and genders (“What is Domestic Violence?”). Although the austerity in each circumstance varies, it is a grave situation that no individual should have to endure. Individuals who are victims of such situations are often unaware that they are a victim of domestic abuse. This is especially accurate to those who have grown up in a household where the use of physical and emotional abuse has …show more content…

Just like the American dream, Hmong have ideals on how the family should run. An entirely full family with both parents present with both sons and daughters in the family. If there were any families with any different situations, they would be viewed differently in the community. The issue of maintaining the perfect family correlates to a fear of a tarnished reputation. Reputations affect how Hmong interact with their clan and their family socially. Hmong have frequent gatherings, including graduations, spiritual gatherings, and parties organized by the clan. Many families tend to hold a lot of integrity and find it difficult to enter situations that make them internally troubled. The concept of divorce or doing something about abuse is a foreign concept. Hmong women cannot leave relationships because the most valued trait that Hmong value is the clan and their family. Being involved in a clan, includes their entire reputation. They also cannot leave because they do not want to create a “broken …show more content…

An individual’s clan correlates to those who have the same last name as them. Individuals who are in the same clan are considered family and consider themselves a clan. For example, if an individual’s last name is Moua, they would be part of the Moua clan. Clans stress the importance of a family’s reputation. Once a family’s reputation is affected, it affects how they interact with their families. This makes it difficult to leave an abusive environment because the culture is not accepting of anything different from what they consider is normal. Hmong are not familiar with the progressive concepts of divorce. In the Hmong culture, it’s always the woman’s fault. Since men hold superior positions in the household, it holds a strong meaning, suggesting that they have a say in what is best for the household. Women are taught to agree and be a pillar of support for the man. Being raised in this mindset for their entire lives highly affects their future decisions when actually faced with such situations. If there are any marital problems, approaching trained professionals, and asking for help outside of the family with problems is a foreign concept. It would be preferable for these women to go to their husband’s clan leaders or elders seeking

Open Document