April is both Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness month. The following article is the second article of a five-week series focusing on raising awareness about sexual assault and child abuse. Locally, Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center (HCWC) served 667 community members that experienced sexual assault or abuse and 937 children that suffered abuse and their protective caregivers.
Familism is a cultural belief that centers family relationships over the needs of an individual. This belief is often seen in the Hispanic community, alongside the Machismo and Marianismo ideology.
From a young age, Latinos are engraved in the idea that abuse stays within the family and is not to be discussed. This belief protects the abuser and puts the victim, and any other potential victims, in danger. This belief then begins to be implemented, intentionally or unintentionally, onto the victim’s future generations and it continues, forming a chain.
