Policy-makers and the public have always neglected the unique social situations and needs of Ethnic Minority (EM) women. From a research conducted by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Christian Service Project SASA (South Asians Support Alliance), it was found that many EM women chose to tolerate and not seek external help when they face domestic violence.

An alarming number of respondents were identified to have experienced family violence. Of the 182 respondents, 38.1% of them expressed knowing someone who had experienced family violence, 16.4% reported that they had personally experienced family violence.

When encountered with family violence, the respondents (or their friends and neighbours) would tell their parents (44.4%), other family members (44.4%) and friends (34.9%) only. It seems that a significant number (27%) of them chose to tolerate than to talk to social workers (17.5%), religious leaders (7.9%) or call the police (6.3%).

The principal investigator of the research, Dr. Ting Wai Fong of Polytechnic University said, "Many EM women hesitate to share the problems with others outside the family like social workers because they do not know how to access the services, have no confidence and no experience to step outside, feel insecure in disclosing personal lives to others and have language barriers."

Many of the EM women do not want to leave their abusive husbands because they are afraid of difficulties in maintaining their daily lives without the financial support of their husbands. Moreover, they do not know how to tell their children.

"Language barrier being the major difficulty that the EM women encounter in every aspect of life, limits their access to services that will alleviate their problems. It also prevents them seeking help when experiencing family violence," Ms. Karrie Chan, Team Leader of Project SASA said. "They just cannot express the unique experience in another language even if they had the courage to disclose. Thus interpretation service is needed to facilitate these victims of family violence to step out to help themselves." Personal exposure is also important to open up themselves for more alternatives rather than toleration.

Furthermore, the research also revealed that policemen's careless attitude and ways of handling reports of family violence had shattered ethnic women's confidence and trust of reporting.

Hence, the research team recommended that：

1. The Government should provide convenient interpretation hotlines and escort support services in ethnic minority languages. With these provisions, EM women will be more likely to get the necessary social services and seek help from professionals in tackling their family problems.
2. One-stop information stations in different districts should be set up to provide all kinds of essential public and social services information in ethnic minority languages, to make referrals to related departments and social services agencies so as to minimize troubles in locating different services.
3. The law should protect EM women and people's basic rights of access to social services in a language that they understand.
4. The cultural sensitivity and skills of the police and social service providers in handling domestic violence of EM should be enhanced so that EM women can receive timely, effective help and services when in need.
5. Greater support to EM women in continued education programs so that they can be empowered and open up themselves to more alternatives in tackling their family problems.