Te invito

Why

While the number of studies examining domestic violence (DV) in Latin@ populations is growing, research on this issue continues to be limited in both quality and breadth. The various strategies used by researchers to collect data (e.g., phone vs. in-person surveys), the specific questions asked (e.g., number of acts of physical violence vs. the context of the violence), and the social/community conditions where the study is conducted (e.g., new immigration laws) all impact the results of the study. The language in which the study is conducted—including the use of variations in Spanish—can also affect results. Despite these limitations, published research findings can provide a general understanding of various aspects of DV including prevalence, intersecting variables, intervention and prevention strategies. Therefore, in this section we find it important to review what current research tells us. 

In addition, we know that knowledge comes not only from research but from within our own communities; therefore, we’ve incorporated some of our own findings from Latin@ community focus groups in St. Paul/Minneapolis. In 2012, we listened to the Latinas who asked us why organizations like ours kept talking to women and girls but nobody was talking to boys and men; many shared their fear about their sons using violence and the need for more positive male role models in their lives. From those conversations, Te intivo and our Engaging Men and Boys initiative was born.