She is completely dependent on her husband, who beats her and yells at her. He uses the threat of deportation on a regular basis, knowing that to be sent back to India would be shameful, and her family would likely not take her back. He keeps her passport and her documents, so that she cannot leave him even if she chooses to. Even when he beats her into unconsciousness, she does not call the police because her husband speaks fluent English and she is sure that he will ask the police to deport her.

One day, her husband gets angry when they are downtown and abandons her in the middle of a crowded street. She has never been alone in the city before, and she is terrified. She finally sees someone who is Indian and runs to them asking for help. Luckily, they are sympathetic and speak her language. They take her to a lawyer, who refers her to a shelter. Although the shelter workers are kind, they do not understand her and have no interpreter.

The young woman is very hungry, but she cannot eat because she sees that meat is being cooked in the same pots and pans that hold vegetables. For two days in a row, she eats only bread. Finally, she cannot take it anymore. She calls her sister-in-law and asks to be taken home to her abusive husband. She stays with him for some more time until he decides to throw her out. After much trying, she finds a job. But without daycare for her newborn, she cannot accept it.

Unless a prominent athlete or politician abuses his partner, little is said or heard about domestic violence. But every day, over 2,400 women are physically battered by their partners. These acts account for almost a quarter of all violent crimes against women, according to the National Bureau of Justice. One-third of all murders of women are a result of domestic violence.

Even if they are able to leave abusive partners, victims of domestic violence too often enter a spiral that sends them hurtling from emotional and physical violence into the hole of poverty, depression, and social stigma. And those from other cultures face even more barriers to accessing services.

The woman above finally got help from Chaya, a grassroots nonprofit organization created to meet the needs of South Asian women in crisis. Chaya is currently the only organization in King County to supply the cultural understanding, advocacy, peer counseling, and language services for South Asian victims of violence. Chaya's volunteer advocates refer them to appropriate legal and immigration services, inform them of their rights, and work to find solutions that protect their safety while respecting their cultural traditions.

In its first 18 months of operation, Chaya served 33 clients, fielded 232 calls requesting telephone counseling from clients, and provided 11 cultural sensitivity trainings to law enforcement officials and mainstream service providers. The incredible response to this grassroots effort shows the need for culturally appropriate services.

No matter where we're from, domestic violence affects us all in countless ways. Studies estimate the annual cost of domestic violence in the U.S. to be anywhere from $5 billion in lost income and workplace productivity, to many billions more in the indirect costs of psychological trauma to women and their children. But we have women with us who are brave enough to tell their stories and to fight for their rights. Let's acknowledge their courage and give their stories a place to be heard. Let's break the silence.