How many of us have been affected by domestic violence, and we didn't even know it? Honestly, I think almost all of us have. Domestic violence is so prevalent, especially in the Latino community. Almost every person I know has a story or an incident, whether it happened to us personally, to friends, or to a family member. And it continues because of this silence that the Latino community emphasizes to "keep the family together." But no more.

Judy Torres is the Director of Domestic Violence Services at Hispanos Unidos de Buffalo, where she leads programs designed to support, educate, and empower survivors. With 36 years of experience as a 911 dispatcher with the Buffalo Police Department, she brings a wealth of expertise in crisis management to her role. Judy has secured over $800,000 in federal funding to expand services for DV survivors in Buffalo - with which they hired additional advocates and produced enhanced, culturally relevant resources for clients. As a bilingual professional fluent in both English and Spanish, Judy is deeply committed to ensuring that language is never a barrier to accessing support.

In this week's episode, we're answering the question: Are you in an abusive relationship without knowing it? Domestic Violence Program Director Judy Torres joins us on this week's episode to explain the shocking ways domestic violence has been normalized in the Latino community and what survivors can do to get help. There's so much pressure to stay and "keep the family together," but you can't stay in a situation that costs you your well-being, or worse, your life.

Tune in to hear what counts as domestic violence and what resources you and your community can use to get out of a bad situation.

Resources Mentioned:

Find resources here at Hispanos Unidos De Buffalo

Follow Judy on:

Instagram:@acacianetwork

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.