Bringing an Ugly Secret Into the Open - Why sexually abused women from Southeast Asia are difficult to reach and help

Overcoming the emotional trauma of rape is never easy, but refugee agencies say there are special problems in helping abused Southeast Asian women who have immigrated to the United States.

Here, the expectations and standards are different from those in the women’s native countries. In many countries in Southeast Asia, privacy in sexual matters in paramount, and sexual relations outside marriage-even rape-are deemed shameful to the entire family. It’s no wonder that social service agencies have a tough time providing the needed help.

The Orange County Sexual Assault Network, which includes services to Southeast Asian women, was in line for a $70,000 state grant to considerably expand its program in this community. But now it seems the state’s budgetary crisis will force this modest, but important program to go unfunded.

While Los Angeles and many other California cities have growing Southeast Asian populations, Orange County is home to “Little Saigon,” the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam, and it also accommodates large numbers of Laotians and Cambodians.

Each wave of immigrants undergoes its own hardships. For example, Vietnamese “boat people”-men and women alike-survived harrowing experiences in escaping their war-torn country. It was during these sea crossings that many women were raped by pirates raiding small boats. Still other women were brutalized later in refugee camps.

While statistics are hard to pin down, a 1980 U.N. study indicated that as many as 40% of Vietnamese women refugees had been sexually assaulted. As stunning as that figure is, state refugee officials say at least these women survived; others were murdered. There are also many rape victims among other Southeast Asian immigrant groups.

Social service agencies say that many of these women suffer alone with their “big, dark secret.” Even agencies that want to help can easily blunder if they are unaware of the cultural differences. The Sexual Assault Network, an established organization that includes many volunteers from Southeast Asian communities, proposed spending its grant on training workshops, a speakers bureau, outreach and a manual that could be used by other rape crisis centers.

But, unfortunately, the network’s plan to help begin to heal the wounds has been put on hold.