Bilingual domestic violence conference provides opportunity for leaders supporting Latina and Latino survivors

As domestic violence awareness month drew to a close, the fully bilingual "Voces de la Comunidad" conference provided the opportunity for service providers from across the state to come together and build expertise in supporting Latino/a survivors.

This one of a kind conference, held at Reed College, provided the opportunity for leaders in the domestic violence prevention field from the Spanish-speaking community to engage in workshops and conversations from the Latino perspective in their native tongue. English-speaking participants were able to engage with the use of interpretation services.

Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury made Friday's opening remarks and credited the strong work of the service providers in the room for helping to bring awareness and support to a frequently ignored issue.

Conference workshops included a wide variety of important topics ranging from Professionalism and Ethics to Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview Techniques and Human Trafficking.

The conference was organized by El Programa Hispano Católico/Proyecto UNICA (Un Nuevo Inicio para Concluir el Abuso/ A New Beginning to End Abuse). Project UNICA is a program of El Programa Hispano Católico which provides culturally specific support, advocacy, and opportunities for self-empowerment to Latina and Latino survivors throughout the region and partners with service providers statewide.