The Latino community has encountered challenges due to a lack of education, along with increasing issues such as human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. As WeLATINOS, we are firmly dedicated to raising awareness and providing education on these critical issues. We are actively working to overcome barriers such as culture, language, and immigration status by forging strong connections with law enforcement and the community to foster trust and support. The rise in crime is a concern, and WeLATINOS staunchly believes that a strong family foundation is crucial in addressing and combating this issue.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS
The use of force, fraud, or coercion is involved in human trafficking to acquire labor or commercial sex acts. Millions of individuals, including men, women, and children, are trafficked globally every year, even within the United States. Trafficking can occur in any locality, and victims may belong to any age group, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers may employ various tactics to entice victims into trafficking situations like Violence, Manipulation, False promises of well-paying jobs and, Romantic relationships. Traffickers frequently target vulnerable populations, such as children, individuals without lawful immigration status, those with debts, and those who are isolated, impoverished, or disabled, to name a few. U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, women, men, and children can all be victims of forced labor. WeLATINOS is committed to provide Human Trafficking awareness to the community. Help the community understand what is Human Trafficking, how to identify victims, how to protect yourself and your loved ones, what to do if you need to make a report and lastly, what resources are available if you or a loved one are victims. CONTACT NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE AT 1-888-373-7888 OR CALL 911 FOR IMMIDIATE ASSISTANCE. YOU MAY CONTACT WeLATINOS FOR ANY ASSISTANCE OR QUESTIONS.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic abuse, also known as domestic violence or intimate partner violence, is a pervasive issue that encompasses various forms of abusive behavior. It can be defined as a pattern of actions aimed at gaining and maintaining power and control over an intimate partner. This pattern of behavior includes physical violence, sexual coercion, emotional manipulation, economic control, and psychological threats. These actions are intended to instill fear, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound the victim. It's important to recognize that domestic abuse can affect anyone, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. It occurs in various types of relationships, including married couples, cohabiting partners, and dating relationships. Furthermore, it transcends socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. It's crucial to understand that anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, irrespective of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, faith, or class. Victims may include not only intimate partners but also children, other relatives, or household members. Domestic abuse typically manifests as a pattern of abusive behavior directed at an intimate partner within a dating or family relationship, where the abuser seeks to exert power and control over the victim. Moreover, domestic abuse can take the form of mental, physical, economic, or sexual abuse. Importantly, incidents of abuse are rarely isolated and tend to escalate in both frequency and severity over time. Tragically, domestic abuse can culminate in serious physical injury or even death. This comprehensive understanding is essential for recognizing the signs of domestic abuse and providing support to those affected by it. HOW CAN WE HELP ? At WeLATINOS, our mission is to provide educational opportunities to Latino families through a variety of ways such as, community meetings, outreach programs, and awarness campaings in both english and spanish . We are dedicated to ensuring that our community members know they are not alone and that we are here to support and assist them in every way possible. We recognize that language barriers often prevent Hispanics from speaking out about abuse, as some fear that reporting the abuser could lead to further complications due to immigration status. Therefore, WeLATINOS is committed to providing all the necessary resources and creating awareness campaigns in both languages. Our goal is to ensure that the community has access to the information and support they need. PLEASE CONTACT NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE 1-800-799-7233 OR TEXT "START" TO 88788, IF YOU'RE BEING A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE OR YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT US, WE ARE HERE FOR YOU !
SEXUAL ABUSE
Sexual assault or abuse refers to any unwanted sexual contact, including but not limited to touching, groping, or any other form of sexual activity without consent. It happens when someone forces or pressures you (either physically or emotionally) to engage in any form of sexual behavior. Rape is a specific form of sexual assault where someone forces or pressures you to engage in sexual intercourse against your will. Each state defines the crimes of “rape,” “sexual assault,” and “sexual abuse” in different ways, and the specific laws and definitions may vary. Rape usually refers to forced vaginal, oral, or anal penetration by a body part or object. It's important to be aware of the legal definitions and protections in your state regarding sexual assault and abuse. EXEMPLES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: Child sexual abuse Molestation Incest Rape Sexual assault Intimate partner rape Sexual harassment Threats of sexual harm Unwanted touching or exposure Forced performance of sexual acts Being filmed without consent or knowledge Commercial sexual exploitation HOW CAN WE HELP? At WeLATINOS, our goal is to provide essential information and resources to the Latino community, including workshops, orientation, and educational campaigns. In many Latin American countries sexual abuse has been normalized and is part of a culture, in the United States it is rejected and will lead to imprisonment. For far too long, the Latino community has faced marginalization when it comes to issues of sexual abuse. Many women, boys, girls, and men have suffered in silence due to a lack of resources and understanding of what sexual abuse entails, leading to underreporting of abusers. We are dedicated to empowering and educating the Hispanic community about sexual abuse, its manifestations, and the importance of reporting it. Our mission is to disseminate this crucial information in a language that resonates with the Hispanic and Latino population, ensuring that it reaches every home. Additionally, we aim to provide support to victims who wish to report their abusers and guide them through the process.
LAZOS CON PROPOSITO
By creating a strong family bond we can prevent and lessen the possibility of our family becoming a victim of a crime, although we know that no one is exempt from being a victim of crime, we believe that by working on campaigns and creating family activities where parents develop better communication with their children and thus create a healthy family bond where we learn to interact, share and develop bonds of trust and security between the family, remembering the dangers that exist outside and often inside our homes, it is important as parents to have a healthy and strong bond of trust with our children. Lazos con Proposito, promotes healthy relationships between parents and children while promoting a space for quality time. Creating activities where the family can develop a healthy bond of trust.
PADRES CON MISIÓN
We believe that no one can protect our children better than ourselves. For years, our children have suffered from violations and have been deprived of a healthy and happy childhood. Child abuse and human trafficking are on the rise everywhere, making our children increasingly vulnerable to violence and exploitation. Every day, hundreds of children disappear, falling victim to human trafficking. That's why we've launched our "Padres con Misión" campaign, creating spaces within our community to inform and educate parents about the dangers present in social media, electronic devices, and the modern tools our children use every day.
