Inside a secret network of safe houses for immigrant women

Impact

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Immigrant women in California have formed a covert network of safe houses across the state in order to protect one another in domestic violence situations.

The network, which is distributed across California, brings together women who were once strangers and who find one another through referrals, staying in touch by telephone or by conducting in-person meetings to provide confidential support. Several of the women in the network also offer their homes to others who require last-minute shelter from domestic violence incidents or from immigration authorities.

Most of the women involved are undocumented immigrants and are therefore afraid to seek official services or file reports with law enforcement. Each individual involved has their own powerful story.

In this episode of Mic Dispatch, Yoonj Kim goes inside this secret network and learns more about the women involved.

Watch the full episode above, and see other episodes of Mic Dispatch here.