Caring Causes - Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse is on the rise in the United States. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. One in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc. One in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. This includes a range of behaviors (e.g. slapping, shoving, pushing) and in some cases might not be considered "domestic violence.

I learn more in this interview from Irene O’Neill, founder of Sisters Rising and Sarah’s Oasis.

Why and how did Sarah’s Oasis get started?
The Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province, started Sarah’s in their convent building in 1996 in St Paul (Highland Park). We don’t disclose the actual location publicly for the safety and privacy of our residents.

The Sisters no longer needed their convent for only Sisters to live in so they offered it at first for domestic violence survivors in the area to come as the guests of a few remaining Sisters in the convent. By the end of 1996, it was clear that more domestic violence regulation and services including housing was coming about in Minnesota and the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) also approached the Sisters about a need for their torture survivor clients to have safe and hospitable housing as they transitioned forward.

What do you do at Sarah’s Oasis?
Sarah's... an Oasis for Women is a home dedicated to the safety and dignity of a diverse community of women who have survived violence, abuse, torture, war, discrimination, and trauma. The residents of Sarah's begin new and productive lives through programs that build self-esteem, self-sufficiency, confidence, determination, and community. Sarah's connects its residents to social services, education opportunities, job preparedness training, and necessary medical care. Women come to Sarah's through referrals from outside organizations.

What are some of the greatest challenges?
In the past 5 years with the pandemic and a lack of value for immigrants for longer than that, Sarah's exists because immigrant women who have experienced significant layers of trauma cannot restart their lives after fleeing for their lives from their home counties leaving behind families including children, careers, homes, and cultures and come to the US where their educational, employment, housing, and credit background is not taken into consideration but where they need to live starting from nothing again at a point in their life when they are 30-60 years old.

What are some of the greatest success stories?
All of the nearly 700 women who came to Sarah's since 1996 from 76 different countries are a success story because they all moved on to a more sustainable life in the US and are now a part of our Sarah's community of women--mostly in the Twin Cities. There are women who went on to buy homes, reunite with their children, spouses, and parents, start non-profits and businesses, and work as advocates and registered nurses. So many of our residents feel that they would have not made it without Sarah's love and support because they were living in dangerous situations or ones where they were isolated and far from the metro area and support that would help them to move forward. All of the women have experienced and need to cope with trauma which was so significant that it's impact on their brain and body has required treatment for stress, sleeplessness, PTSD, and often physical illness like cancer, high blood pressure, and heart problems as well as injuries like amputated limbs, dental damage, burned skin, and acid burns to soft tissue. Sarah's provides the healing place that women with these conditions have been able to heal and cope and move on to productive lives.

Domestic abuse is reported to be on the rise, have you seen more cases of this?
Since 1996 more programs have emerged to support survivors of domestic abuse so our ministry is focused on serving immigrant women who are survivors of trauma such as torture and forced relocation. (Do not use the word trafficking please for the safety of our residents from their traffickers). However, we are seeing more domestic violence within communities that women are coming from - even when those international communities arrive in the US. We also see situations where women are unsafe living in domestic servitude (slavery) with unrelated individuals which is likely to be or become an escalated and more dangerous situation for women short of their escape to Sarah's. All of the newest residents are coming from situations of high possibility of danger like this.

How does Sarah’s Oasis help victims survivors? What programs does Sarah’s Oasis offer?
Sarah's connects its residents to social services, education opportunities, job preparedness training, and necessary medical care. We have financial programs for loans and gifts to support residents' educational goals as well as family reunification and to support legal, health, and religious practice needs. Sarah's provides healthy and culturally appropriate foods, earth-friendly cleaning supplies, and everything else women need to live in a home and accomplish their goals. Goal-planning and basic needs are supported by staff services.

How can people help Sarah’s Oasis?
Please donate to our scholarship program through Sisters Rising Worldwide. Visit SarahsOasis.org for other ways to help.