Welcome!

Who are we?

We are a free, confidential, referral non-profit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area (primarily the south bay). We help families from South Asia facing domestic violence, emotional abuse, cultural alienation, human trafficking, or family conflict. You can learn more about the work we do at www.maitri.org. Call our toll-free hotline 1.888.8.MAITRI if you are worried or concerned for yourself or someone you know.

What is the purpose of this blog?

The purpose of this blog is to disseminate, discuss, and bring to light information about familial violence in the South Asian diaspora from an academic point of view.

Rather than approaching the topic of domestic violence (DV) from a personal or anecdotal viewpoint, in this blog we will try to discuss peer-reviewed, published, research-based studies. We hope that you will participate in a discussion based on these studies - Do the findings ring true? Do the author recommendations make sense? What does or doesn't the researcher capture? How can these findings be translated to the real world? How can their research inform our work in the community? Where possible, we will link to the article.

Why are the comments moderated?

To prevent abusive comments, cussing, or flame wars.

By deleting my comment aren't you violating my right to free speech?

No. This is a privately run blog with moderated comments. You are welcome to post whatever you wish on your own blog.

Can I post anonymously?

No. If you have something to say, we would like to know who you are.

I think you have written my case history. Can I sue you?

No. Maitri does not publish or discuss any specific case histories. All case discussions are composites with all identifying details removed. Any similarities are purely coincidental as we have a large case load. We receive over 2000 phone calls per year on our hotline!