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Filipinos represent the second-largest ethnic group in Hawaii, making up nearly 23% of the population.

As a group, Filipinos have gone through waves of scapegoating with little sensitivity to the fact that the first wave of Filipinos to Hawaii endured human trafficking by the sugar oligarchy as our homeland grappled with the aftermath of American genocide and occupation.

For many generations, Filipinos have found themselves trying to survive violent conditions due to foreign oppression.

For my family and many others, migration was a basis for survival. While migration is seen as a privilege, it also means living in a state of permanent homesickness, multiple jobs, lost cultural practices, separation from loved ones and social isolation in a new place. These are hard conditions to raise a family and build a strong community, and yet against the odds we do.

As first-, second- and third- generation children and beyond, we carry these legacies of sacrifice, the muscles built from everything it took for our families to make it here, along with the embodiment of the stories of our ancestors who made incredible contributions to our culture and society. Yet some things are not often talked about, because they’re much heavier to carry.

We need to acknowledge that in Hawaii. They are also much more likely to be fatal victims of domestic violence compared to Native Hawaiian and Japanese women relative to their proportions in the population, according to the Domestic Violence Action Center.

About 10% of domestic violence victims speak Filipino as their first language, so navigating systems as an English-language learner often contributes to the difficulties in accessing support services.

We need to support Filipino-grown solutions , which would create a formal Task Force to End the Invisibility and Abuse of Filipino Women. We need to applaud the Filipino Caucus and specifically need the Legislature to pass the Senate draft 1 because Filipinos deserve a formal and organized task force that facilitates broad community engagement.

The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women with collaboration from Filipino, immigrant and domestic violence organizations will work with this task force to provide guidance on the designation of an outreach program. This program is meant to develop Filipino-specific outreach to end domestic violence.

Immigrant women are disproportionately impacted by intimate partner violence, especially if they are undocumented or have a complicated legal status.

Abusers will often use their partner’s immigration status as a tool of control, in order to isolate the victim and force them to stay in the relationship without the ability to seek help.

We know that domestic violence affects every single community, so the fact that this task force was established to focus on Filipino women is the appropriate and necessary response to finally confront these devastating statistics. Lived experiences will inform solutions to address this deadly tragedy afflicting our community and currently, but not eternally, embedded in our culture. This special task force will be led for and by Filipinas.

Ashley Ancheta Galacgac, states in her supportive written testimony:

By creating gender-inclusive and culturally sensitive information in Filipino languages, the task force will be able to spread awareness about the unique services that are available for victims and survivors of domestic violence, regardless of their immigrant and/or financial status.

These services may include crisis support, survivor advocacy, legal representation, referral and community education.

There also needs to be outreach and education for Filipino men who have been predominantly known as domestic abuse perpetrators and who have benefited from the silence, therefore avoiding accountability from their actions.

HSCSW will record program findings, submit recommendations, and have the opportunity to propose legislation. This report can directly impact the support, protection, and education of Filipina women and their children who are experiencing domestic violence.

This task force is an opportunity for our community to get involved in disrupting the silence, repairing the harm, and stopping the cycle of abuse overwhelming our community.