Un Nuevo Despertar - a New Awakening (UND-ANA) provides free and confidential services to individuals impacted by domestic violence.
Advocacy forms the backbone of interventions to support victims of domestic violence and end the violence in their lives.
Our advocates primarily work helping survivors with specific court hearings and processes. They provide safety planning and risk assessment information. They support and inform survivors of various options and resources. Our advocates act as guides along the bumpy trail that constitutes our legal system.
An Order for Protection is a paper signed by a judge that can help to keep someone safe from an abuser. Our advocates provide assistance to people who have experienced abuse and want legal help to stay safe. They help you identify options and describe the process of obtaining an Order Of Protection. We can also help you fill out the paperwork and go to court with you if necessary.
Illinois Domestic Violence Act, Orders of protection (2020)
By this Act an order of protection is defined as a court order which restricts an abuser and only is available to family or household members. An order of protection may:
prohibit abuser from continuing threats and abuse (abuse includes physical abuse, harassment, intimidation, interference with personal liberty, or willful deprivation)
bar abuser from shared residence or bar abuser while using drugs or alcohol;
order abuser to stay away from you and other persons protected by the order and/or bar abuser from your work, school, or other specific locations;
require abuser to attend counseling;
prohibit abuser from hiding a child from you or taking a child out of state;
require abuser to appear in court or bring a child to court;
give you temporary physical possession of children or give you temporary legal custody;
specify visitation rights (if and when visitation is awarded);
bar abuser from accessing child's records;
give you certain personal property and require abuser to turn it over, or bar abuser from damaging, destroying or selling certain personal property;
require abuser to pay you support for minor children living with you, require abuser to pay you for losses suffered from the abuse, require abuser to pay for your or your children's shelter or counseling services;
require abuser to turn weapons over to local law enforcement, if there is danger of illegal use against you;
prohibit abuser from other actions; or
to protect you, require abuser to take other actions.
https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/women/ordersofprotection.html
Our advocates include safety planning to reduce the violence and control of a violent partner and strategies to prevent harm to the children.
Un Nuevo Despertar - a New Awakening helps survivors develop this plan according to their needs.
Safety requires the reduction of all risks of a partner’s control, “batterer-generated risks” not solely physical violence. It also requires the reduction of “life-generated risks” or those circumstances of victims’ lives over which they have little control, such as physical or mental health, poverty, or bias and discrimination.
Our support groups offer a confidential and safe space for survivors to talk about the challenges and barriers that impact their lives and to explore options.
Our trained domestic violence advocates offer a non-judgmental environment for participants to talk about their experiences and weigh their options. Participants are supported to understand the dynamics of abuse and its impact on their lives, nurture self-esteem, set healthy boundaries, develop safe coping skills, assess risks, and create a safety plan to address their emotional, mental, and/or physical safety.
UND-ANA also offers free in-house group therapy and individual therapy.
Our advocates understand that Domestic violence affects individuals across all races, ethnicities, nationalities, and social strata. When working with non-citizen victims who may experience domestic violence and sexual abuse, advocates note the unique challenges facing non-citizen victims as they consider leaving an abusive situation. A number of factors contribute to the differing experiences of non-citizen victims. As a result of language and cultural barriers, non-citizen victims may be less informed about their legal options and less aware of available support services in the community.
Isolation may occur more easily for immigrant women who have entered an environment where they may not know the language, culture, or physical geographic area, making it easier for their abusers to gain power and control.
One of the largest barriers facing non-citizen victims is the fear of immigration-related consequences should they report the abuse. Non-citizens may harbor anxieties around interactions with law enforcement agencies, who they view not as resources but as individuals to be avoided. These anxieties may be exacerbated by their abusers, who purposely misinform them of the consequences of reporting abuse and threaten them with immigration problems should they seek help.
Abusers may attempt to control non-citizen victims by giving victims false information about legal status and options or by threatening them with deportation if they report the abuse or attempt to leave the abuser. In fact, abusers often use immigration-status-related abuse to attempt to lock their victims in abusive relationships.
Legal Protections
Please note that information can be dated over time as laws and regulations tent to change. Please click the button I need help, or call 773-801-7111 to make an appointment with a case manager for aid.
References:
VAWnet. National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (2021)
Inmigration Relief for Victims of Abuse and Domestic Violence - Practicioners Guide to Serving Non-Citizens (2012)
Information, resources, and referrals to legal, medical and social services, as needed.
Divorce, child support, visitation rights and more.
