Empowerment

Even when women were not ready to make any decisions about leaving their marriage, they were able to cope and “go on” when they knew help was available (Ting, 2010). The knowledge that support was available gave women a sense of empowerment and safety, allowing them to “get through” day by day:

“I talked to a neighbour. She’s the one who told me that you can call police; the police can help you and my husband would be arrested. He’s not supposed to abuse you, it’s a crime. And she arranged with the people from her church to help me. One day two people came to my door, knock on the door. When I opened, they just give me telephone number and said, “This is our number, call us any time; we can take you to a safe place and get you a lawyer.” And I was keeping that number in my pocket” (Ting, 2010).

A sense of empowerment allowed women to cope with the abuse, until the time was right for them to ask for support. Even if women chose not to leave, having information provided a safety net and a bargaining tool for them. While some migrant women felt that they had some power over abusive husbands, and a way to control the abuse to keep it from becoming extreme, it should not be assumed that all women are resilient or safe.