MYTH: Domestic violence only occurs in American families.
FACT: Violence occurs in families of every culture, nationality, religion, class, race, and socio-economic background. Believing myths about domestic violence prevents immigrant women from getting the help they need.

MYTH: Immigrant women experience domestic violence differently than American women.
FACT: Being afraid, injured, humiliated, or feeling controlled are human emotions. Everyone experiences the effects of violence the same way, regardless of culture.

MYTH: Battering is a family matter.
FACT: Domestic violence is a crime regardless of the relationship between people. You deserve the same protection and help that any victim of assault, battery, or rape would receive.

MTYH: I am in the United States without legal permission from the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). I cannot get help to stop domestic violence.
FACT: Any battered immigrant woman, even if she is not legally living in the United States can get help to stop the domestic violence. She has a legal right to get help from any shelter or other program that helps women who have suffered domestic violence. She can obtain a protection order from the courts, call the police for help, and receive emergency medical assistance. All of these agencies offer help to battered immigrant women without regard to her immigration status.

MYTH: It is easy for battered women to leave their abusers.
FACT: Leaving the abuser is very difficult. Women may have a real fear that they will be killed or severely hurt by their batterer if they leave. They may not be able to support themselves, they may want to keep the family together, they may be afraid of being ostracized from their community, and there may not be culturally sensitive domestic violence resources where they live. All of these things make it difficult for battered women to leave their abusers.

MYTH: Only battered women who choose to leave their abusers can get help.
FACT: Battered women who wish to try to continue to living with their abusers can still receive help from battered women's advocates, counselors and other legal and social services. They can obtain protection orders that do not require separation from the abuser. They can call the police for help to enforce the protection order if more violence happens after the order has been issued. If they qualify to file for legal immigration status because of the abuse, they can file without having to leave their abusers.

MYTH: Women are responsible for the violence against them.
FACT: Violence is a learned behavior that abusers use to resolve conflicts. You are not responsible for your abuser's violent behavior and do not deserve to be treated this way. Even though an argument may be what causes your abuser to become angry, what he does with his anger is his responsibility.

MYTH: Violence is caused by alcohol or drug abuse.
FACT: There is a high rate of alcohol/drug abuse among men who batter. However, there is no relationship between the two problems. Many men who batter do not drink heavily, and many substance abusers do not beat their wives. Batterers may use alcohol or drug abuse as an excuse for their violence instead of taking responsibility for their behavior.

MYTH: Battering only occurs in low-income families.
FACT: Domestic violence affects women of all classes, cultures, races, ages, and occupations. Middle class women, however, may have more resources available to them and may therefore be less likely to seek help from shelters and other public services.

MYTH: If I leave my abuser, he will get custody of the children and I will not be able to see them.
FACT: Courts in the United States generally do not give custody of children to fathers who are abusers. This is true even when the father is a citizen, and the mother is an immigrant who does have legal immigration status in the United States. Many immigrant women who are undocumented receive legal custody of their children through protection orders and custody orders because judges believe it is safer and healthier for children to live with the parent who is not an abuser.