Columbus police are spearheading an initiative to provide domestic violence resources to non-English speaking residents to help address what the department believes are under-reported abuse.
The department will begin providing placards with information printed in a variety of languages on how to get help in the event of intimate partner violence.
Columbus Division of Police Sgt. James Fuqua said domestic violence often goes underreported in immigrant communities, particularly the city’s Nepali, Somali and Haitian communities. The division’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Unit, formed last year, has been meeting regularly with members of those communities to find solutions.
Officers found that language barriers often serve as the most frequent reason for abuse, Fuqua said. Recent immigrants or people seeking asylum might not know what resources are available or how to contact the police. Some officers found that some don’t know how to dial 911 in an emergency, and others are unaware that the police have a language line to provide translators so people who don’t speak English can communicate with police in an emergency.
“So the the D&I officers, through these conversations, started brainstorming a way to like close that gap, and they were able to come up with these posters or flyers … that they could within those posters have resources to increase access and support for domestic violence survivors.”
The new placards bear the message “If you or someone you know is experiencing violence and needs help:” in Spanish, Arabic, French, Nepali, Russian, Somali and Haitian Creole above the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233), which has interpreters for 200+ languages.
The placards also direct people, in English, to dial 911 in case of an emergency and have a QR code that links to the Columbus police victim services page, which contains city and state resources for crime victims and can be translated into several languages via a drop-down menu.
Fuqua said the placards have been placed in high-traffic areas on Columbus’s north and northwest sides, with higher immigrant populations.
Fuqua said people also might be skeptical of contacting police due to mistrust.
“Each culture was different, but the overlying theme is the police in their native countries were not as trustworthy to them,” Fuqua said. “They just flat out didn’t know that we don’t operate the way police departments do that are more militarized in other countries and a little bit corrupt.”
Fuqua said members of the communities are also sometimes reluctant to go to the police when they experience domestic violence if they aren’t in the country legally. He said Columbus police don’t check the immigration status of crime victims.
“Our job is to protect victims of domestic violence at all costs,” Fuqua said. “So we just want to reassure the community here in Columbus that if they are a victim of domestic violence, that our priority is getting them help and and safety for them. We are not concerned with immigration status.”
Fuqua said the placards cost the division a “nominal” amount. Staff printed them in-house, and the listed resources already existed.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police want to help domestic violence victims who don’t speak English