Name of Host Organization: Texas Civil Rights Project

City, State: Austin, Texas

Issue area: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties, Immigrant Populations,Domestic Violence

Sponsor: Texas Access to Justice Foundation

THE INSPIRATION

TCRP’s project to help undocumented victims of domestic violence gain legal status under the Violence Against Women Act showed me just how powerless so many women are when it comes to protecting themselves and their families from violence, particularly when an abuser has the advantages of language and citizenship on his side. I would like to do what I can to make the odds better for these women by making the legal system more accessible.

Though Texas courts require language interpreters in criminal cases, the needs of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) individuals in civil proceedings go unmet. Often, LEP victims of domestic violence are given little information about legal proceedings in which they are participants, even when child custody, divorce, or family safety is at stake. My project will educate judges and county policy makers about improving interpretation services and develop litigation with victims of domestic violence in counties that are less amenable to change.