SOUTHEAST ASIANS: VIETNAMESE

• According to the US Census 2000, there are 1,223,736 multi-race, multi-ethnic and single-race Vietnamese, of which 1,122,528 are single-race.

FACTS & STATISTICS

In a study of 30 Vietnamese women recruited from a civic association that serves Vietnamese women in Boston:

• 47% reported intimate physical violence sometime in their lifetime.
• 30% reported intimate physical violence in the past year.

Tran CG. Domestic violence among Vietnamese refugee women: Prevalence, abuse characteristics, psychiatric symptoms, and psychosocial factors [dissertation]. Boston, MA: Boston University; 1997.

The Asian Task Force study found that:

• The average score for all respondents on male privilege was 8.5 out of 24; for Vietnamese respondents it was 12 out of 24 (the highest score amongst the different ethnic groups in the study).  The higher the score, the more an individual believes in male privilege.  The average score of 8.5 is a low score indicating that overall, respondents do not believe that a husband has the right to discipline his wife, can expect to have sex with his wife whenever he wants it, is the ruler of his home, or that some wives deserve beatings.
• 69% of the overall respondents reported being hit regularly as children. The proportion of respondents who were hit regularly by their parents as children varied slightly across ethnic groups: Cambodian (70%), Chinese (61%), Koreans (80%), South Asians (79%), and Vietnamese (72%).
• 27% of the Vietnamese respondents witnessed their fathers regularly hit their mothers; whereas 15% saw their mothers regularly hit their fathers.

Yoshioka M and Dang Q. Asian Family Violence Report: A study of the Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese communities in Massachusetts, 2000.  Boston, MA: Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

In a study of 20 Vietnamese women (10 were known to be in physically abusive relationships and another ten were not known to be battered) conducted by Bui and Morash in 1999:

• 70% of the women reported that their husbands believed that men should dominate women, while 90% of the women believed that men and women should have equal rights in the family.
• Most women (90%) did not view family violence as a private matter and favored governmental intervention. (Despite this belief, few women called the police when they were abused due to language barriers and fears of husbands being arrested and subjected to racial discrimination.)

Bui HN, Morash M. Domestic violence in the Vietnamese immigrant community: An exploratory study. Violence Against Women. 1999; 5(7): 769-795.

TRANSLATED MATERIALS: VIETNAMESE

MULTI-MEDIA RESOURCES

Break the Silence
A video for young Asian women about sexual assault in Vietnamese, Chinese, Cambodian.  By the Interpersonal Violence in Asian American Communities Task Force and Women Organized Against Rape, Philadelphia.  Can be borrowed from the Institute (English version not available)
apidvinstitute@apiahf.org

The New Americans
A miniseries that looks intimately at the American dream through the eyes of immigrants and refugees from India, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, the West Bank, Mexico and Vietnam.  It captures the breadth and scope of immigrants' and refugees' everyday lives.  www.pbs.org/pov/tvraceinitiative. For training and technical support to organize The New Americans Community Campaign contact Active Voice inquiries@activevoice.net

Xích-lô
While on a ritual pedicab (xích-lô) ride through Ho Chi Minh City, a Vietnamese American woman weighs personal revolution and "tribe-quests" against her father's role in the war, displacement and bonds of humanity.  The film relates a fresh perspective about the war through 8mm home movies, meditations on mass culture and lucid commentary on a family legacy haunted by death and destruction. It also provides a forum for discussions on socioeconomic class and gender. By M. Trinh Nguyen. www.asianamericanmedia.org, distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ahn, H.N., & Gilbert, N. (1992).  Cultural diversity and sexual abuse prevention.  Social Service Review, 66(3), 410-427.

Bui, H.N. (2001).  Intimate violence and the criminal justice system: The experience of Vietnamese-American women. Unpublished dissertation, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

Bui, H.N., & Morash, M. (1999).  Domestic violence in the Vietnamese immigrant community.  Violence Against Women, 5(7), 769-795.

Dang, Q., & Ngo, T. (2000).  Domestic violence in the Vietnamese community and the intervention role of community health centers:  Group interviews with Vietnamese women.  Boston, MA:  Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

Ho, C.K. (1990).  An analysis of domestic violence in Asian American communities:  A multicultural approach to counseling.  Women & Therapy, 9(1/2), 129-150.

Kanuha, V. (1987).  Sexual assault in Southeast Asian communities:  Issues in intervention.  Response to Victimization of Women and Children, 10(3), 4-6.

Kibria, N. (1993).  Family tightrope: The changing lives of Vietnamese Americans.  Princeton, NJ:  Princeton University.

Kristof, N.D. (1996, April 14).  Asian childhoods sacrificed to prosperity's lust. New York Times, 1-2.

Le, Q.K. (1997).  Mistreatment of Vietnamese elderly by their families in the United States.  Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 9(2), 51-62.

Lovell, M.L., Tran, T., & Nguyen, C.D. (1987).  Refugee women: Lives in transition.  International Social Work, 30(4), 317-325.

Lumsdon, K. (1995).  Caring for Ms. Little Saigon.  Hospitals & Health Networks, 69(11), 87.

Mckelvey, R.S., & Webb, J.A. (1995).  A pilot-study of abuse among Vietnamese Amerasians.  Child Abuse & Neglect, 19(5), 545-553.

Segal, U.A. (2000).  A pilot exploration of family violence among non-clinical Vietnamese. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15(5), 523-533.

Tran, C.G. (1997).  Domestic violence among Vietnamese refugee women: Prevalence, abuse characteristics, psychiatric symptoms, and psychosocial factors. Unpublished dissertation, Boston University, MA.

Tran, C.G., & Des Jardins, K. (2000).  Domestic violence in Vietnamese refugee and Korean immigrant communities. In J. L. Chin (Ed.), Relationships Among Asian American Women. (pp. 71-96).  Washington, DC:  American Psychological Association.

Yoshioka, M. & Dang, Q. (2000).  Asian family violence report: A study of the Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese communities in Massachusetts.  Boston, MA:  Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

Yoshioka, M.R., DiNoia, J., & Ullah, K. (2001).  Attitudes toward marital violence: An examination of four Asian communities.  Violence against Women, 7(8), 900-926.

SERVICE PROGRAMS