Bringing Crime Victims’ Rights Awareness to the Burmese Refugee Community
In our Burmese refugee community, the majority of people face violence or harm and don’t know what to do next. Many don’t know their rights, where to go for help or that support even exists. Discussions about violence - for all types of crime - are rarely talked about and cultural stigma keeps many silent. At EMBARC, we knew that had to change. Our community deserves a safe space to learn, ask questions, and feel supported.
“We’re thankful we had this event. These topics aren’t normalized in our community, but they need to be.”
That’s why, this year, we hosted our first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) events. We held three separate events on April 7, 8, and 11 - one for the Chin, Rakhine, and Burmese-speaking community, one for the Karen community, and one for the Karenni community. Each event was tailored to the group’s language with support from linguistically appropriate volunteers and Advocates.
Each event also included interactive activities to engage attendees of all ages. We set up a hand-painting station where community members could leave their mark in solidarity with victims and survivors. We also had a set of survey questions displayed on a board, where participants could place pins to share their answers. The questions focused on things like whether they knew where to go for help or what rights victims have. These simple activities helped spark conversations, reflect on what people already knew and highlight areas where more support is needed. To ensure people left with something useful, we handed out bags filled with resources like contact numbers and information on where to get help.
We worked with local law enforcement through each session to help our community better understand their rights and the resources available to them. Sgt. Doua Lor, the Asian Outreach Resource Officer, and two other officers from the Latino Community joined us to give a presentation and answer questions. Their involvement helped create a sense of trust and comfort with law enforcement. Sgt. Doua Lor shared:
“As new refugees, we often experience this [some type of violence or crime] at home, but it goes unnoticed. Bringing this program to the community helps raise awareness, especially because America is different. Here, they can help themselves to stay safe.”
In total, we had over 100 attendees across all three events including elders, parents, children, and volunteers. It was encouraging to see so many different people come together to learn and be part of the conversation. We hope to continue this important work in the future. Everyone, no matter their background, age, or gender, deserves to be supported and heard.