Understanding the role of culture in domestic violence: the Ahimsa Project for Safe Families.

Domestic violence affects women across all racial, national, social, and economic groups. In particular, immigrant and refugee families are at risk for domestic violence because of their migration history and differences in cultural values and norms. The Ahimsa for Safe Families Project is an innovative collaborative project that addresses domestic violence in immigrant and refugee communities in San Diego. The project is designed to increase awareness of domestic violence among Latino, Somali, and Vietnamese communities and to develop and implement culturally specific programs aimed at each community. Here the authors describe the Project's needs assessment and community dialogues that guided the development of specific interventions; present the lessons learned; and describe replicable, culturally specific prevention strategies utilized by the Project.