ASSEMBLYWOMAN JENIFER RAJKUMAR AND MAYOR’S OFFICE HOST A MEDIA ROUNDTABLE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA
EVENT DURING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH PART OF COMPREHENSIVE WORK BY ASSEMBLYWOMAN TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
NEW YORK : Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-AD 38) partners with the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence for a media roundtable to discuss the unique challenges of addressing domestic violence in the South Asian diaspora. The roundtable will be at the Queens Family Justice Center, located at 126-02 82nd Avenue in Kew Gardens. The event is open to the press, for whom RSVP is suggested but not required.
Assemblywoman Rajkumar will be the keynote speaker at the media roundtable. There will also be multiple advocates for South Asian and Indo-Caribbean women who will share their insights on domestic violence in their communities. They will discuss the impact of domestic violence, community engagement, prevention, and the role of the community – including the media – in supporting survivors. Following this will be a question and answer session.
Studies find that as many as 40% of South Asian American women experience domestic violence, of whom only 55% contact the police. The statistics took on a human face in August 2022, when the world saw the video suicide note of Mandeep Kaur, a Sikh New Yorker from Richmond Hill, Queens, declaring she was ending her life due to years of domestic abuse.
Occurring during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the media roundtable continues Assemblywoman Rajkumar’s work to end domestic violence, particularly in the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities. In response to the Kaur tragedy, the Assemblywoman announced the formation of a task force to investigate domestic violence in the South Asian American community, including the unique needs of South Asian women in abusive situations. This coming Wednesday, Assemblywoman Rajkumar is also hosting a Domestic Violence Workshop, where people will learn about the signs of domestic violence and the resources available for survivors. In this year’s state budget, she helped secure $34.4 million in financial assistance to domestic violence survivors. Previously, she served on the legal advisory council of Sanctuary for Families, one of New York’s premier service providers for domestic violence survivors.
Assemblywoman Rajkumar said: “I have zero tolerance for domestic violence in my district or in my City. I am proud to spearhead culturally responsive initiatives aimed at addressing domestic violence in the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities. When I saw my sister Mandeep Kaur describing her ordeal, her pain was my pain, and I will honor her memory by fighting to ensure that domestic violence survivors have the help they need to escape the cycle of violence.”